Jade Dragon's Descent
by Blu3b3rryT3a
Summary: Fairy Tail S-Class wizard Jade Aquilo has somehow ended up in another world, away from her Guild mates and all that she knows. Will she adapt to this world of demons, Shikon jewels and mikos? Read to find out!
1. Intro

**I own nothing save my OCs and my own unique idea twists. Please review and comment- NO flaming please. Also my first fanfic, so don't verbally murder me. Rated T for violence and mild language.**

 _Country of Joya, World: Earthland_

Jade breathes in deeply, scenting the air.

It's close.

Her green eyes narrow as she scans her surroundings, seeking her prey. The wind is playful today, stirring the trees and bushes. Making it harder to detect movement. Harder to smell them out. Jade remains still, using a hunter's patience as she continues to try to locate her prey.

The wind dies back- but the bushes still move. Her eyes fix on the movement and in one smooth move she leaps forward.  
 _"Earth Dragon's Crushing Fang!"_ She roars, her leg smashing down and crushing the spine of the wyvern. It screams and collapses, futilely trying to defend itself. Jade ends its' misery.

 _"Earth Dragon's Obsidian Sword."_ Her arm turns into a blade made of shimmering black crystal and she beheads the wyvern.

"Woo, finally done. Now to get paid~! Man this quest took a while." She muses, grabbing her pack and the wyvern's head.

Jade Aquilo is tall, nearly six feet in height, with long black hair bound in a messy bun. She wears a shirt that doesn't cover her stomach, (picture Cana) showing off her blue tribal tattoos and on her back her Fairy Tail mark. Her worn jeans held up with a belt made of steel and amber, and the pants' legs stuffed into beaten up leather boots. She appears to be about nineteen and moves with confidence and grace.

Jade hikes back to her camp to grab the rest of her stuff and her companion.

"Soren, I'm back!" She calls. The massive elk-like animal called a Wapiti snorts and trots over to her: his body is similar to an elk with thick brown fur that is mottled for natural camouflage and two slightly curved long horns. He butts his head against her shoulder, making her stumble.

"Wow boy! You must be as ready to leave as I am!" She laughs, saddling him and packing up camp.

"I wonder how the rest of Fairy Tail is doing. I think the S-Class exams are coming up- maybe we can help out." She says, her eyes twinkling.

"It'll be nice to see Erza and Mira and Gildarts and the rest- it's been a while since all of us S-Class have been in one place." She says to Soren as they ride down the mountain. He snorts and keeps moving, eager to leave. Jade laughs.

"I guess we'll have to get there first!" After reaching their client and getting paid for taking out the nest of wyverns, Jade and Soren start their long ride home to Magnolia.

Pity they never make it.

Jade and Soren vanish from Fiore for seven years on an adventure into another world, unaware of the time passing or the ramifications of their disappearance.

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth, Time period: Fedual_

Inuyasha and friends are traveling on a road leading deeper into the mountains, following a jewel shard when Kagome gets an uneasy feeling.

"Kagome? What's wrong?" Asks Shippo, sitting in her bike's basket and wearing a worried expression.

"Huh? Oh, nothing! Just felt a chill for a second- I'm fine now." She tries to reassure Shippo, but inwardly worries.

 _What WAS that feeling? It felt- powerful and dangerous but not demonic._

"Hey, Kagome, stop lazing around! We have shards to collect!" Inuyasha yells, impatient as always. Kagome rolls her eyes and pedals faster.  
"My dear Kagome, if you are weary then we can always stop and refresh ourselves," says Miroku, concerned as always.

"I'm fine, Miroku. Just felt a chill," Kagome says, slowing a little to accommodate the monk. Miroku raises an eyebrow.

"A chill?"

"Yeah, a chill." She says, not looking Miroku in the eye.

"Hmm," He says, his expression thoughtful.

"Did you perhaps sense something?" Kagome can't quite hid a flinch.

"Sense what?" Says Inuyasha, having heard Miroku questioning Kagome.

Kagome makes a face.

"I got a chill, that's all," she says, almost convincing herself.

"But Kagome, you often sense things the rest of us cannot," points out Sango reasonably. Kagome couldn't argue with that.

"Spill it wench," orders Inuyasha. Kagome glares at him.

"Sit!" **Bam!**

"What did I tell you about calling me wench?!" Kagome yells, furious.

Inuyasha starts to get up, fuming,

"Quit-!"

"Sit! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit!" **Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.**

The others look on and sigh. Sango shakes her head and says,

"So, Kagome, what did you sense?" Kagome pauses, and gives up trying to avoid answering.

"A powerful presence- not a Shikon shard, but not anything demonic either. It felt like nothing else I have ever experienced before. I- feel afraid of it." She admits.

The mood of the group becomes somber- what could be powerful enough to scare Kagome? Even Naruku doesn't manage that.

"Well, let's go see what it is," Inuyasha growls, standing up.

"Eh?!" Cries Kagome.

"If it's powerful, then it might be a threat!" He snaps.

"True," Muses Miroku thoughtfully,

"At the very least we need information." Sango nods while Kagome and Shippo look distressed.

 _And here I was hoping NOT to go near it!_ Kagome thinks, upset. Shippo is shaking with fear.

 _I hope it doesn't like eating kitsune!_ He thinks.

With reluctance, Kagome points in the direction of the powerful presence- it is farther into the mountains, away from the jewel shard. Inuyasha whines about it, but since he was the one that insisted on checking out the strange aura he was silenced quickly.

As they travel deeper, the path becomes steep and too treacherous for the bike, forcing Kagome and Shippo to walk. The scenery changes as well, becoming more rugged with exposed rock as the forest is left behind. Hours pass as they climb the mountain until Kagome stops in front of a crevasse in the mountain side.

"Here. It's coming from here." She pants, winded. Everyone, except Inuyasha and Kirara, are tired from their hike. Inuyasha immediately heads in, leaving the rest of the group scrambling to follow him.

Inside the crevasse it is dark, but very dry- no moist walls or fungi growing in this crevasse. After walking seemingly forever the crevasse widens into a proper cave, with a high ceiling that is studded with small crystals that glow slightly.

On the far side of the cave is two forms- one a beast none of them had ever seen before and the other a young woman that is dressed strangely leaning against the animal. Both seem to be asleep at the moment.

"Wha- what is that creature?" Asks Shippo, staring at Soren.

"What a beautiful young lady! I wonder if she would consent to bear my child?" Miroku wonders aloud. Sango smacks him with her boomerang bone.

"Letcher!" She hisses.

Inuyasha sniffs at the two figures. "They smell weird- like earth, metal and clear water and- blood!" He draws Tetsusaiga and it changes into its fang form.

"Get behind me!" He tells the others and readies to use Windscar.

Jade is having a dream where she's back at the guild, drinking and eating as normal with her friends, when she gets the feeling of danger. She turns around and sees Erza charging at her.

 _Well, that's- different. I haven't even eaten her cake!_

"Rise and shine, Jade! Or you're gonna get pummeled!" Yells Erza, who sounds like Natsu for some reason, swinging the sword at her.  
 _Annoying as always._ Jade thinks before rolling and kicking the blade aside so it misses her. Her foot jars, just like it would if she had kicked the blade in the real world.

 _Wait. This is a dream right?_ She thinks, confused. Erza is blurring out and has white hair now.

"DIE!" Erza with white hair screams with a guy's voice.

 _Ok, somethings weird._ Jade twists and grabs the hilt of the sword with one hand then hammers the other into not-Erza's gut, tearing the sword away from her attacker. The reassuring sensation of a punch wakes up Jade all the way, just in time to see a guy wearing red fly into a cave wall.

"Gahhh!" The guy struggles to get up and Jade examines the sword she grabbed from him.

"You need to take care of your weapons, dumbass." She tells him and casually tosses it aside.

"Also, don't attack someone while their sleeping- anyone else would be dead." Jade lectures as she walks over to him. Inuyasha snarls as he gets up.

She blinks at his appearance- silver hair isn't super weird, Mira and her siblings have silver hair after all, but dog ears are a bit odd. And they're twitching!

 _Maybe he'll let me touch them..?_ Jade wonders and grins.

"Say, those are cute ears! Can I touch them, they look **really** soft! Interesting outfit too, do you like traditional clothes?"

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" He yells, slashing at her with his claws. Jade rolls her eyes and blocks it with one arm.

"You're a hothead, aren't you? Can't even bother to answer a gal's questions." She says dryly, standing there with not a scratch on her, the floor around her torn up.

"Wha?!" Inuyasha yells, disbelieving. _She took Iron Reaver Soul Stealer head on and doesn't have a scratch?! Who is she?!_

"Nice try by the way, but no dice." Jade says, finally looking around the room. She spots Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku and Kirara near the cave entrance.

"Yo." She waves casually at them in greeting. They are all too stunned to move.

"So." Jade turns back to Inuyasha.

"What gives."

"Huh?!" He snarls.

"Why did you attack me?" She asks patiently. _Geez, it's like talking to a stupider Natsu._

"Why?! You're dangerous!" He yells, furious. Jade rolls her eyes to the ceiling.

"Anyone can be dangerous, given the right circumstances, dumbass. I **hope** you have a better reason than that." She tells him, calmly cracking her knuckles one by one.

"Otherwise I'm gonna have to kick your ass for ruining my nap."

His lips curl and he sneers.

"As if you can do anything to me!" He bluffs.

"Uh huh. This is coming from the guy that got thrown into a wall, lost his weapon and has yet to land a scratch on me. And has some of the cutest ears I have ever seen." She ticks off her points on her fingers and quirks her eyebrow at him.

"Grahh!" He yells and springs to attack her. Jade shrugs and gives herself over to the fight.

Jade blocks Inuyasha's punches, slashes and kicks easily, making him more frustrated. He tries to punch her in the face and she moves her head to the side, grabs his arm and throws him over her shoulder and into the ground. The floor cracks from the force and Inuyasha lies there, twitching.

Jade steps back and sighs.  
"We done? Cause I have other crap to do than kick your ass." She tells him. Inuyasha growls.  
"I'm… not… done… yet!" He struggles to his feet and renews his attack. Jade side-steps his charge, grabs his hakama and throws him again. This time a little harder and further. Inuyasha's friends wince as he plows into the wall again. The stranger doesn't seem fazed by his demonic abilities in the slightest. Shippo looks to where Tetsusaiga lies and then where Inuyasha is.

He tugs on Sango and Kagome's clothes to get their attention.

"I can get to Tetsusaiga, but you need to keep her distracted," He whispers to them. Sango nods and throws her boomerang bone at the stranger.

Jade's head snaps up and she bends backward to avoid being hit.

"Well, I guess this is a free-for-all now," she says and grins before charging Sango in a blur of motion. Sango manages to catch her boomerang bone and use it as a shield when Jade thrust kicks Sango into the wall. Kagome tries to string an arrow and Jade knocks her bow aside, making the shot miss. Miroku throws ofudas at her, who gives him a puzzled look and proceeds to pound on Sango some more. Sango blocks some of the blows and gives it as good as she got- it wasn't enough but she put up a better fight than Inuyasha.

Miroku attacks with his staff and Jade moves with the blows, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Not awful, but not good either." She tells him before stepping inside his strike zone and pummeling him in the stomach. He goes down, wheezing. Kagome fires an arrow at Jade, who catches it midflight only to have it blow up in her hand.

"… Ow." She says, looking at Kagome. Jade's face becomes serious.

"You know, I wasn't using magic because I figured that would be a bit much… guess I was wrong." She tells her.

The air around Jade becomes charged with energy the group doesn't recognize. Jade focuses and lets her magic manifest.

Earth Dragon Slayer magic, reputed to be the most powerful defensive type of Dragon Slayer magic. Also one of the most destructive, in the right circumstances. Jade sighs and says,

 _"Earth Dragon's Quartz Strike."_ Magic concentrated on her fist and her skin turns transparent and shiny before she strikes Kagome. Kagome, acting on instinct, creates a protective shield. The shield explodes upon impact and Kagome is thrown into Kirara.

"Kagome!" Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippo and Sango yell, terrified for their friend. Kagome groans, but remains unconscious.

 **"You…"** Jade turns to look at Inuyasha, who is holding his fully transformed Tetsusaiga, Shippo hiding behind his leg.

"I'll **never** forgive you for hurting Kagome." Jade considers his words, nods and says simply.

"That's fair. Let's end this."

 _They aren't my guild mates- they can't take my magic head on without getting seriously hurt. Better to take the hit and move on. Too bad Mister Fluffy Ears probably won't let me touch his ears now._

"WINDSCAR!" Inuyasha brings his sword down and demonic magic blasts towards her. She smiles a little.

 _"Earth Dragon's Quartz Scales."_ Her magic flares and she assumes a defensive stance- Jade's skin turns a glistening blend of transparent black and purple, with the appearance of scales. The windscar hits and shakes the mountain, raining dust down around them.

"… Did you get her?" Asks Shippo, quivering. Inuyasha doesn't answer- his instincts tell him the fight isn't over yet.

"That was a better attack than before," Jade remarks casually, stepping through the dust. Her skin has returned to its' usual tan. She looks at Inuyasha and says,

"You made a scratch. Congrats." She taps her cheek, where there is indeed a scratch. Jade looks around the cave and sighs.

"Time to move on I guess- this place is gonna collapse pretty soon. Come on, Soren." Jade calls, and the Wapiti stands and trots over to her, the wyvern head still attached to the saddle.

Team Inuyasha gape at her as she walks toward the exit.

"WAIT!" Inuyasha yells furiously. Jade pauses and quirks an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Who are you?! You can't be human, you're too freaking powerful, but you're not a demon either!"

Jade looks offended.

"First, I **am** human. Second, I'm a Dragon Slayer. It's not my fault Dragon Slayers have absurdly powerful magic."

 _Dragon… SLAYER? Magic?! And she's HUMAN?!_ Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo had more questions than answers.

"Anyway, you all need to scoot out of here- your 'windscar' made the cave unstable and it's gonna collapse soon." With that parting remark, Jade and Soren leave Team Inuyasha in the cave while the mountain around them began to groan as weakened stone begins to give way.


	2. Bumbling Along

**I own nothing save my OCs and my own unique idea twists. Reviews and comments are welcome, but no flaming please. Also my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. Enjoy!**

After the powerful stranger left, Inuyasha and the others took her advice to leave the cave system. As they left a howl of falling rock came out of the crevasse, giving them all goose bumps for how close the rock fall was.

"Well, she did not lie about the cave collapsing," Miroku remarked, favoring his ribs as they make camp near the crevasse.

"I don't understand how she resisted the Windscar so easily- not even Sesshomaru walked away unscathed by it." Sango states, worried by the implications.

"She was using slang," Kagome remarks, awake now but resting.

"And her clothes are more like those of my time period." The group muses over this before Shippo asks,

"Do you think she's from your time, Kagome?" Kagome makes a face, unsure.

"I don't know, her clothing is similar, but that animal she was with isn't anything I have seen before. And the… head attached to the saddle is **definitely** not from my time period."

"Gaaah! So we have no answers except she's strong and is a 'Dragon Slayer'. Pft, I doubt she's ever killed a dragon, much less seen one!" Inuyasha grouses irritably.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Not a lot of towns around here," Jade remarks as Soren picks his way through the woods.

"Heck, not even villages!" She frowns, annoyed. "Dang, and I was hoping for a soft bed for once- sleeping outside is fine, but I was really looking forward to it." Jade sighs.

"At least I can make you hot mash, Soren. I still have a few oats left. I'll make it once we reach the stream-" The Wapiti snorts and trots faster, eager to have his mash. Jade laughs.

"Nice to see you're excited!"

As they move deeper into the woodlands, Jade suddenly catches the scent of unwashed bodies, steel and old blood. Putrid doesn't even begin to describe it. Soren pauses when she urges him to halt, tossing his head. She listens and unwillingly takes a deeper sniff.

One, two, three, four, five, six. Six individual scents so six people waiting off the sides of the path Soren is following.

 _And all of them stink of bad hygiene and death. Bandits? Bad luck- for them. Hmm, maybe they can answer my questions…_

Jade smiles and deliberately relaxes, before calling out-

"Hey, don't be shy- why doncha come out where I can see you? Unless," she drawls, letting her face convey mock horror,

"You are afraid of me?" Dead silence falls then six men step out into the open. All of them are wearing traditional clothing, old-fashioned armor and topknots. Their expressions range from affronted to furious. Jade's eyes take note of visible weapons- all of them have katanas and one or two have knives.

 _Typical bandits- armed, but with mostly scrap metal swords. But what's with the traditional get up? Nobody does that anymore unless they are die-hards._

Jade looks at them and intones-

"Topknot, topknot, topknot… what is this, a gang mentality? Everyone has to have a topknot to join? Talk about antiquated." She shakes her head in disgust. Soren snorts and lowers his head, ready to charge.

The bandits are not amused.

"Wench! Get off your- your animal!" One of them barks, shaking his sword menacingly. The others grin evilly and step forward with swords drawn.

"Give us all your valuables and maybe we'll let you live- after a lesson or two in how to respect your betters! Right, boys?" The ringleader says, with ringing support from his fellows.

"Yeah, bitch!"

"You'll learn to respect us mighty quick!"

"After we all have a turn with you! How much do you think she will scream?"

Jade tunes out the taunts and boasts, yawning, clearly not impressed. The bandit's leader notices and snarls.

"We **said** , GET OFF YOUR ANIMAL, WHORE!" She looks at him and smiles very slowly, showing off fangs.

"Whore, huh? Matter of perspective, I guess." Smoothly, she kicks her feet free of the stirrups and springs forward, standing directly in front of the ringleader. He involuntarily steps back- she is nearly a head taller than him! Seeing the flinch, she laughs menacingly.

"I see a bunch of cowardly low-lives that aren't worth shit. All you can do is band together and hope no one else is stronger than you. Pathetic."

The bandits retaliate, screaming battle cries as they surround Jade. She laughs and launches herself into the brawl.

She easily dodges three of the katana and kicks one from the hands of a bandit, then leg sweeps the two trying to strike her from behind, knocking them down. The last bandit sweeps his sword down on her unprotected head and-

 **CLANG!**

At the last second, Jade's arm snaps up and hardens into stone scales, protecting her head. The sword fails to cut her and bounces off, throwing off the bandit's balance. Jade takes advantage, rushing him and slams a knee into his face, breaking his nose. He collapses, clutching his face and screaming. The others regroup, unsure of what they saw.

"The sword bounced off of her!"

"Is she a demon?!"

"No, she's a spirit come to slay us!"

Jade listens with interest.

 _Demon- Fluffy Ears was talking about demons too… what is it with these people and 'demons'? Hmmm. Better leave at least one with a functioning jaw then!_

Decided, she explodes into motion and lays waste to the rest of the bandits. Soren nibbles on grass as she interrogates the bandits. Jade learns the following:

One, they have never heard of magic. Two, demons are creatures that often have malicious intent for humans. Three, their clothes are not 'traditional'- they are just regular clothes. Four, none of them know what cosplay is. Five, there is a village about three days away to the east.

Jade nods thoughtfully and knocks out the last bandit. Then she ties all the bandits to a tree and leaves them there wearing only their loincloths. When they all wake up, Jade smiles and casually breaks all of their swords with her bare hands. After they are suitably cowed, she leaves and heads in the direction of the village.

When Inuyasha and the others come back down from the mountains, they hear cries for help. Intrigued, they go to look only to find six mostly naked bandits tied to a tree. Each of them look like they had been beaten half to death and were ridiculously happy to see fellow 'humans'. At least, until they saw Inuyasha.

"Augh!"

"Demon!"

"Not again!"

"Don't eat us!"

"Aiee!"

"Help!"

Inuyasha is already in a bad mood from losing to the strange woman, and is even angrier when he scents traces of her on the bandits. A few more punches shuts them up and after they apologized to Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango release them.

"Who did this to you?" Kagome asks, curious.

"A Demoness!"

"She was pretty-"

"Shut up!"

The other bandits silenced the one that had developed a crush on Jade and tried to answer Kagome's question.

"We thought she was easy prey, even with that strange animal of hers. It was huge! As big as a horse, if not bigger, with huge horns sticking out of its' head. They were curved and really long!"

"It had a demon's head attached to the saddle- but I've never seen a demon like _that_ before either!"

"We've never met a demoness like that bi- um. _Lady_ , either. She was tall! Taller than the demon there, with black hair and strange tattoos!"

Bandits gave them all the information they could on the demoness, including her strange questions.

"What is 'cosplay'?" One of them asks Kagome, who starts.

 _Cosplay..!_

"She asked you about that?" Kagome prods, eager.

"Yeah, she wanted to know if we were doing 'cosplay'."

 _This is getting weirder and weirder- she knows about cosplay but I've never seen an animal like the one she rides before. Is she from my time?_

As Kagome ponders possibilities, Inuyasha gets riled up when he learns the 'demoness' is heading towards Kaede's village.

" **You sent the bitch to old hag's village?!** " At this, the others immediately decide to return to Kaede's, to protect her from the 'demoness'.

"I hope we make it in time!" Sango says, riding Kirara with Miroku. Everyone has grim expressions-

 _Please let Kaede be alright!_

As they reach the outskirts of the village, Inuyasha snarls, furious.

"I smell her! She's here already!"

"Oh no!" Kagome cries. Picking up the pace they rush into the village, ready to fight-

Only to see the strange woman hammering on a roof, with nails sticking out of her mouth. Her mount is grazing nearby, the saddle and monster's head nowhere to be seen. The villagers are rebuilding several homes and chatting familiarly with the strange woman, who is laughing as she works.

"… Huh?"

Kaede spots them and waves them over.

"Ah, you have returned. Good, help to fix the village. What troubles we have had-" Kaede says, shaking her head and sighing.

"… Kaede-san, who is the woman up there?" Asks Miroku, unsettled by the way the very powerful fighter is fixing a roof.

"Ah, her? I have advice for thee, Monk. Do not ask her to bear your child, she would surely geld you. She has been of great help these last two days, what with the demon attacks and bandits. I can tell thee she is no one to be trifled with." Kaede says firmly.

Inuyasha snarls.

"She can't be trusted-!" Kaede gives him a glare.

"She is not Naraku's get, nor a demon. True, she has great power but she has no malicious intent unless attacked first- something I have been told you have experienced firsthand, Inuyasha." Inuyasha blinks and his face scowls.

"Wha..!" He snarls but Kagome cuts him off quickly.

"Kaede, you have talked to her?" Kaede nods thoughtfully.

"Aye, lass, I have. And what a story to tell she has. Come, you may speak with her after supper." Kaede bustles off, overseeing the repairs and leaving Team Inuyasha standing there, nonplussed.

They look up at the stranger, then at Kaede.

"Well, if Kaede thinks she's alright…" Kagome says doubtfully. Sango, Miroku and Shippo nod slowly.

"Kaede is very experienced, so I find it hard believe she could be deceived easily…" Miroku says eventually.

Inuyasha growls and starts to yell.

"Hey y-!"

"Sit!" **Bam.**

"Inuyasha, trust Kaede. Now let's go unpack and help out!" Kagome says determinedly.

Jade is already seated in Kaede's hut when Team Inuyasha enters, helping herself to a bowl of soup. She has a blissful expression on her face as she eats.

"Ghish dis dehishus!" She mumbles excitedly.

Inuyasha scoffs.

"What are you, an animal, witch?" Jade looks over at him and her eyes widen.

"Uffy Mears!" She tries to shout, then frantically tries to chew and swallow at the same time. After a few coughs, she swallows her food and tries again.

"Fluffy Ears!" Inuyasha's ears flatten.

"Don't call me that!" He yells, red-faced.

"What are you doing here, Fluffy Ears?" Jade asks, completely ignoring his demand.

"What am **I** doing here?! What're **you** doing here?!" He yells back.

"Inuyasha! Be quiet!" Kagome shouts, pissed.

"Me?! **She's** the suspicious one!" He growls.

"Sit!" **Bam!**

"You aren't helping!" She snaps at the prone half-demon, hands on her hips. Jade sniggers into her soup. Kaede clears her throat, finally catching everyone's attention.

"If ye sit down, the lass is willing to tell her tale. I warn thee, tis strange even for ye." Then she looks at Jade and says,

"Lass, would ye be willing to tell thine tale again?" Jade glances up from her food to look at Kaede. She shrugs carelessly.

"Sure, Gran."

"And don't ye forget to introduce thy self!" Kaede lectures Jade, who grins bashfully.

"Sure, sure, okay, point taken." Jade says laughingly, playfully using a hand to ward off the older woman's words. Jade puts her bowl down, smacks both of her cheeks with her hands and assumes a serious air.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Jade Aquilo of Fairy Tail, a wizard's guild in the country of Fiore." She says before bowing from her seat.

Team Inuyasha blink and look at each other.

 _Fairy… Tail? Guild? Wizards? Fiore?_


	3. The Fairy's Answers

**I own nothing save my OCs and my own unique idea twists. Certain key questions- such as how Jade (probably) came to Feudal Japan, will be either partly or fully answered in this chapter. Reviews and comments are welcome, but no flaming please. Also my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. Enjoy!**

 _Recap…_

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Jade Aquilo of Fairy Tail, a wizard's guild in the country of Fiore." She says before bowing from her seat.

Team Inuyasha blink and look at each other.

 _Fairy… Tail? Guild? Wizards? Fiore?_

Jade nods.

"Yeah, I'm from Fiore, a country in Earthland, and from what Gran tells me she's never heard of Fiore or any of the surrounding countries. And-!" Jade reaches over into her pack and pulls out a worn piece of paper. She unfolds it and reveals a map of the world Earthland.

"When I showed her this, she says she's never heard or seen anything like it!" Miroku and Kagome take closer looks at the map while Inuyasha eyes her suspiciously. Sango hesitates and asks a few questions.

"What is a 'wizard', Aquilo-san? And what is a 'guild' and 'Fairy Tail'?"

Jade grins at Kaede.

"Whoa Gran, you weren't kidding when you said nobody knew what a wizard is! And call me Jade, I don't like formalities. Let's see, how did Gramps explain it..?" Jade makes a face, trying to remember.

"Um, a wizard is a human that can use magic, usually as a job… a guild is where a bunch of people with similar skills can get together and share info and support and ideas and can get requests for jobs- it's kinda like a big, messy family! And a wizards' guild is a guild for wizards! As for what Fairy Tail is-" Jade says, her expression becoming more cheerful and reminiscent.

"They're my family. I mean, Fairy Tail is the name of the wizard's guild I belong to, but we're like a huge crazy family! We get into so many fights with each other! Gramps gets so mad when we break things at the guild hall!" She laughs, scratching her head.

Sango blinks in surprise.

 _She must really love this 'Fairy Tail' if she considers it like her family…_

"Oi. What do ya even do as a 'wizard'?" Inuyasha asks, his voice clearly conveying his lack of belief wizards are capable of anything noteworthy.

Jade quirks her eyebrows at him, then shrugs, not bothered by his attitude.

"We go fulfill requests- a client sends a plea for something to be done, like killing a monster or finding a rare book, and then they pay us for when the job is completed. Some jobs are more dangerous than others, so you have to be a certain level of skill to go do them." Jade stretches as she says this, loosening the kinks in her back.

"Take earlier for example- Gran asked me to help fix the village and in return the reward is food and shelter for the night. That's an example of an 'easy' quest." She makes quotes with her fingers as she says this.

"An example of a harder quest would be exterminating a nest of wyverns- that's the name of the creature whose head I had attached to my saddle." She says to them when she sees the confusion on their faces.

"Wyverns often hunt in pairs or small packs, they're pretty clever, durable and powerful. They're a pain for someone like me, but an outright menace for a regular person. That's why a request was sent out from another country called Joya, looking for a wizard or big-game hunter to come and get rid of them. I took the quest, managed to kill the buggers in about two weeks. I hate having to track things through swamps, they smell so bad!"

"You- you killed those scary monsters?" Shippo squeaks, hiding behind Inuyasha.

Jade blinks and smiles gently at him.

"Sure did! Don't worry, kiddo, from what Gran has told me you guys don't have **most** of the monsters my world has."

"Your world?" Inuyasha says snidely.

Jade nods.

"Yup. Mine. All I can figure is that I somehow ended up in another world- otherwise why would so much be different?"

"She's likely correct," Miroku says, looking up from the map.

"Lady Kagome and I have looked this map over thoroughly and none of the countries match any Lady Kagome is aware of. The shape of the world is different too."

Kagome nods in agreement.

"I may not be the best at geography, but my textbook maps don't correlate with this one **at all**. And given our difference in knowledge and culture… she's probably from another world." She finishes with visible anxiety.

Team Inuyasha all look at one another.

"So… how did Jade-san get here?" Sango asks finally, breaking the silence. Jade yawns and then says in a thoughtful voice.

"Probably a ley line gate." They all stare at her.

"A what?" Miroku asks politely.

Jade blinks and then smacks her fist into her palm.

"Right, you guys don't really understand magic, do you? My little sister messes around with weird magic and reads too many magic theory books, but to sum up the three day lecture she gave me, it's something like this-!" She grabs the map back and pulls out a magic pen.

"There's these lines of natural energy, called ley lines, running through the earth's surface. In some spots," Jade explains as she draws glowing lines on the map, connecting them in spots and making spirals in others.

"They converge- either in a cross pattern or a spiral and the energy has really weird effects on the land above and around it. My little sister lives in a house that is smack dab in the middle of a huge convergence point, called a nexus, and space is distorted there. A set of doors and windows in her house look out in other parts of the world they shouldn't be able to or open to spaces she shouldn't be able to reach normally. Yeah, it's super strange," Jade agrees with the stunned expressions on everyone's faces- except Kaede, who had already heard this.

"And being odd herself, she's trying to map it out, but I'm rambling. So what I **think** happened is Soren and I accidently rode into a nexus or vortex point and triggered the energy. Opening a portal… to here." She finishes, and clicks her pen.

Everyone jumps when the glowing lines vanish from the map.

"But… Jade-san, how are you sure these 'ley lines' can actually take you to other worlds?" Kagome questions. Jade nods.

"That's a good point- I know it's possible because my little sister, Ryo is her name, has traveled to other worlds using both a nexus and vortex. She returned the same way, mostly because she could find other convergence sites and bent them temporarily to her will."

Silence falls. Crickets chirp in the distance.

"She… _bent_ them to her will?" Miroku queries. Jade grimaces.

"Yeah. It was incredibly **stupid** , and beyond **risky** , but she managed it three times to date. Ley lines are- well, they're temperamental and not just powerful- they **are** power. Raw, unfiltered **power**. Most mages that try to use them die, horribly. And there's no way to save them if they screw up. Which is why its nuts that Ryo keeps studying them-!" She growls, getting louder and more emotional as she talks.

"Oi, can we use these 'ley line' things to get stronger?!" Inuyasha asks, intently.

Jade stops mid-tirade and glares at him.

"… Don't go there, Fluffy Ears. Better, and worse, people than you thought the same thing- and were completely **destroyed** when they tried to tap a ley line."

He huffs, clearly not impressed.

"If your sister can-"

"Ryo is a special case." She cuts him off harshly, her eyes turning hard.

"And she nearly **died** each time she did the deed, Fluffy Ears. So, leave well enough **alone**." Inuyasha's eyes narrow.

"Don't call me Fluffy Ears! And don't tell me what to do! Your sister must be a weakling, if she almost died from something like that-!"

Jade explodes into motion, smashing her fist into his face and sending him flying out the door. Kaede sighs- she saw that coming. The others are stunned by her swift retaliation. Jade stalks out the door, exuding fury. Inuyasha scrambles to his feet, snarling at her. She bares her own teeth in response and snaps at him.

"You know what, Fluffy Ears? I can tolerate a **lot** of **shit** , but you just had to go and disrespect my sister-"

She blocks his attempt to punch her and nails him in the gut. He manages to sock her with his other fist, but Jade seems to simply ignore it, favoring to keep punching him.

"And you go running your mouth about shit you don't even know about-"

He jumps away from her, trying to gain distance. Jade isn't having it. She leaps after him, and lashes out with a sweeping kick to knock him over.

"Just so you can 'get stronger', like it's so goddamn easy-!"

Jade twists to avoid Inuyasha's claws, grabs his out-stretched arm and uses it to Hulk smash him into the ground. Over and over. She doesn't let up until Kaede and Kagome's pleas become frantic. With a huff, she drops him, unconscious.

"Power hungry Dumbass." Jade growls before stalking back to Kaede's hut, leaving Kagome to check on Inuyasha.

Shippo, Miroku and Sango give Jade plenty of room as she angrily eats another bowl of soup. Kirara nudges her inquisitively with her nose, meowing. Jade absentmindedly pets her as she eats.

After a bit, Kagome comes back in accompanied by a disheveled Inuyasha and tired Kaede. Inuyasha is steaming mad, but doesn't say anything, choosing to fume in silence.

"Um, Jade-san?" Kagome asks, steeling herself.

"What?" Jade says, annoyance still flavoring her tone.

"Kaede-san mentioned something about you helping out with bandits and demons..?"

Jade looks at her, sighs and visibly lets her frustration fade away.

"Yeah, that. It started nasty and snowballed from there."

Kaede nods in agreement.

"Naraku sent a demon swarm, who hit the village just after a bandit clan attacked the day before- everyone was tired. And several of us fell before Jade reached us…"

Her eye grows distant as she remembers…

 _Two day ago._

Kaede is tired. The bandits had been driven back for now, but they were regrouping in the forest. Several huts had already been burned and the livestock scattered, but there was no time to gather them. She felt an ominous presence to the east- a _demonic_ presence, to be precise. Wearily, Kaede organized the village men to defensive positions while she readied her bow.

It would not be long now.

Screeches of the foul beasts fill the air and they burst into view- demons. Ugly, violent, blood-thirsty demons. The men waver, fearful. Kaede fires her first arrow, slaying a few- all too few. The rest stampede forward, killing one man too slow to defend himself. Kaede curses her old age and fires again. And again.

It's not enough.

Kaede despairs when she realizes even if all the demons are slain, there will be too few villagers able to fight the bandits.

 _If only Inuyasha and the others were to return-!_

"Why so distressed, Kaede?" A malicious voice inquires, reveling in her despair.

"Naraku! Tis this thine work?!" Kaede demands, furious. A figure in a white baboon pelt is watching from a safe distance, but Kaede can still see the Shikon jewel shards on him.

"Why of course. The bandits were all too pleased to hear of a village ripe for plucking. As for the demons, they are always happy for a chance to devour humans…" His voice is gloating, pleased with the fruition of his plans.

"Imagine the despair on Inuyasha's face… and Kagome's… and all the rest! I do wonder if they will have the resolve to go on…" He muses, clearly excited for them to see his handiwork.

Kaede grips her bow tighter.

"I hope you will entertain me a little longer… perhaps I will tell your sister of your death as well! The expression on her face would be- _delectable_ to witness."

Kaede fires an arrow, but Naraku easily avoids it.

"Oh? Are you trying to take me with you to the grave?" He beckons several demons forward, clearly not deigning to consider her a serious threat.

The demons spring forth, trying to get in close with Kaede, who is trying to fit another arrow to her bowstring-!

And a huge animal runs into the mass of demons, spearing one with it's horns and trampling another. The demons scatter, stunned and afraid of this beast. Kaede blinks in surprise at it.

"Oi, Gran, you alright?"

Kaede starts and looks up, onto the animal's back. A strange young woman, clearly a foreigner, with wild tattoos and messy black hair. And wearing pants and such strange shoes!

"Gran, are you alright?" The stranger asks again, casually crushing the throat of a demon that got too close.

"A-aye. And who might you be-?"

"Later." The stranger says, kicking a demon in the face- its' skull pulverized. She looks at Kaede and sighs.

"Gran, right now, you got a big mess of ugly to deal with. Names can come later." She jumps off and her mount shakes its' head, throwing off the dead demon. Then it charges and tramples a few more.

"I'll help, but I would like three things in return," She says, using a smaller demon as a makeshift club to mow down other demons as she talks.

"What might thee be asking for-?" Kaede pants, shooting a few more demons.

"Food. Shelter. And information. We got a deal?" The stranger demands, using a crescent kick to divert a spear.

Kaede thinks fast and accepts with a nod. The stranger grins and then yells,

"Hey, you ugly bastard demon things! Ready to die?" They roar, furious with her. Naraku watches her with narrowed eyes.

" _Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"_ She snarls, her arms suddenly covered with thick scale-like pieces of stone that detach and slice their way through the demon swarm, killing and injuring over a third. Several demons avoid the attack by using their neighbors as shields, then try to jump her. Her eyes glitter evilly.

" _Earth Dragon's Twin Swords!"_ Her arms change into black, shimmering stone blades that effortlessly slice and dice the demons. Blood splatters her face, but she ignores it as she lays waste to the rest of the demons in record time. The villagers watch her in awe and fear as she dispatches a few injured demons, then turns to look at the man in the baboon pelt.

She quirks her eyebrow at him.

"Are you going to just stare, pervert?" Naraku twitches at the unexpected epithet.

Kaede marches up, drawing an arrow. The stranger looks at Kaede's murderous expression, then at Naraku.

"I'm guessing you're not friends…" She states dryly.

Kaede scoffs.

"He is a demon most foul-!"

"I will take my leave." Naraku states, mind working furiously.

 _This stranger, she is ABNORMAL- I need to study her and create countermeasures…_

"Nah uh, Baboon Dude." Stranger says, shaking her head. She points her thumb at Kaede, who blinks.

"My boss doesn't seem to want you to leave the party just yet." Her voice cheerful at the prospect of impending violence, cracking her knuckles. Naraku looks at her, wary. And then smiles cruelly.

"Ah, but you need to protect the priestess' village from bandits-!" He chuckles, seeing his chance to run.

Kaede makes a noise of frustration when she sees the bandits returning. Stranger narrows her eyes, then whistles loudly. Her mount returns to her and she swings aboard.

"Wreck 'em, boy." The animal charges, head down. Bandits draw their bows and release arrows- but the girl opens her mouth and **roars**.

Everyone's hair stood on end. It was not the sound of a human. It was the roar of a predator- something ancient and powerful that allows no rivals. The blast of sound physically pushes the arrows away, sending them falling back on their archers. Naraku breaks for it, sweating.

 _That woman-! She's dangerous!_

Kaede tries to shoot him, but to no avail. Naraku dodges and runs away to scheme another day. The stranger, on the other hand, is still busy thrashing bandits with her mount.

"Yeah-!" She crows, cheerfully at home in causing violent chaos. In short order she drives off the bandits, and the beast is positively buoyant, trampling them as they flee.

Finally, the fight ends. The village is saved and has a very odd ally in its corner. Kaede approaches warily, as the blood-splattered stranger pats her mount.

"May we have thine name, lass?"

She looks at Kaede and grins.

"Jade Aquilo. Nice ta meet ya! What's your name, Gran?"

"My name is Kaede."


	4. Of Gems, Illusions and Tactics

**I own nothing save my OCs and my own unique idea twists. Reviews and comments are welcome, but no flaming please. Also my first fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. And if anyone knows how to fix the mess that is my first chapter, I would appreciate the help. Enjoy!**

The fire crackles as Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo absorb Kaede's story of her first meeting with Jade. Inuyasha curses viciously.

"I'll kill Naraku! Bastard!" They others nod grimly.

"I never expected he would go after Kaede- we should have thought of that." Sango says, her hands clenching her kimono.

"He is always manipulating us with our loved ones…" She breaks off, unable to finish.

Jade quirks an eyebrow.

"Sounds like a nasty character," is her reply as she gives Kirara a belly scratch. They all look at her, stunned. She looks up and asks, confused,

"What? Is there food on my face or something?"

Finally, Kagome breaks the silence.

"A nasty character? A nasty character?! He's evil, foul and manipulative-!"

Jade holds up a hand, forestalling Kagome's tirade.

"Okay, okay, got it, he's a piece of shit that needs to be dealt with."

Kagome blinks at Jade's easy acquiesce. Jade's face becomes speculative as she looks at them all.

"So. What's your plan for bringing him down?"

They all are taken aback by her bluntness.

"O-Oi!" Inuyasha snaps, flustered. The Dragon Slayer gazes at all of them, eyebrow raised.

"This Naraku dude- I personally prefer Baboon Man, but whatever, is a strategist. He has a plan A, B and C. Probably a Plan D too- plus he knows how to string you along. All your weaknesses, strengths, and personality quirks- you can bet he did his homework on all of you. For any strategist, information is power and it sounds like he has a shit ton of info on all of you. So, I'm asking how you are combatting that."

A stunned silence falls. She looks around and makes a face.

"Don't tell me… were you basically just reacting to all of his ploys and you keep getting lucky?"

At that, they all protest loudly.

"Hell no!"

"We do actually have a plan-"

"Lucky?!"

"We aren't weak, you know!"

Jade claps her hands over her ears, grimacing.

"All ye, be silent!" Kaede commands firmly. They settle down with grumbles and Jade nods in thanks to Kaede. Then she points at Miroku.

"Ok, _you_ mentioned having a plan- enlighten me, Mister Monk."

Miroku nods.

"We know that Naraku wants the Shikon Jewel, which means he will be after the pieces of it. Since that is the case, we will keep on collecting the shards and eventually he will have to come after us to retrieve the pieces in our possession."

Jade nods, thinking it over.

"Okay, not a completely crap plan- here are some things to consider. One, Naraku has a base of operations somewhere where he can stockpile his strength. You lot aren't doing that by traveling and you are open to his ambushes. Two, he has a way to spy on you from a distance- that's a huge disadvantage by the way. Three, it is entirely possible he will lure you to him rather than him coming after all of you."

Jade ticks off her points with her fingers as she talks. Inuyasha huffs in annoyance.

"Let him! We can take him out!"

Jade looks him up and down.

"… Are you a numbskull, Fluffy Ears?"

His ears flatten against his head.

"Why you-!"

"I get that you have survived his ambushes before. And I get that you have unusual abilities. But that doesn't mean crap if he A, already knows about them and has counters for them. B, exploits your weaknesses at critical moments. C, has tactical advantages over you, examples being splitting you up to make it easier to kill all of you and so on. But here's the kicker- _he's learning from his mistakes_."

Jade glares at Inuyasha, trying to get him to understand the dangers.

"If you keep rushing in blind, it is completely possible that you will endanger your teammates or get them killed. Think, assess, and **then** act."

She sits back, letting Inuyasha think it over, then glances at the rest of the group. Her eyes land on Shippo and her eyes light up.

"Hey, kid!"

Shippo blinks and quivers.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You can do illusions and stuff right? Because you're a kitsune?" she presses, thinking furiously.

Shippo nods, terrified by Jade's questions. Sango and Kagome look on, worried.

"Then you could, probably, stop Naraku from spying on you with magical means!"

Cicadas chirp in the distance as that sinks in.

Then pandemonium erupts.

"What?!"

"Eh?!"

"That's possible?"

"No way!"

"Seriously? Hell yeah, now we're talking!"

Kaede stares at Jade and asks the practical questions-

"How is he to learn this? Tis no simple matter, no?" Jade laughs.

"Nah, he's gonna have to work **hard** \- but I do have something to make it easier. See the idea itself is fairly simple- oh, wait, I almost forgot."

Jade gets up and rummages in her pack before pulling out a palm-sized sphere of clear glass with a riot of colors in the middle. She concentrates and it glows faintly gold before the colors in the center of the sphere suddenly move, whirling inside until the magics bound inside it escape. Threads of power, all colors of the rainbow, weave together into a braided circle and settle to confine everyone inside that circle. Jade settle back into her seat and grins at their expressions.

"It's a magic device that creates a ward against observation. Naraku and friends cannot hear, see, smell, or touch us while inside it."

Yawning, Jade pets Kirara.

"…Could we perhaps borrow this device?" Sango asks, her mind whirling at the implications. The other nod excitedly.

Jade shakes her head.

"No can do. My sister would lose her shit if she found out I let you borrow it- not to mention you need to have magic to activate the thing. The other downside is this device only works while stationary. You can't walk or ride with it, since it affects the spot physically inside the circle and that needs to remain consistent."

They slump and Inuyasha grumbles about Jade being stingy. Shippo looks at Jade and asks,

"But how can I help? I'm just a kid!" Jade grins at him.

"Your age doesn't matter- all you need is the magical aptitude for this type of magic, which at its core is illusion magic."

He blinks and then nods slowly, a small grin forming.

"I do know how to do illusions," Shippo admits proudly. She reaches over and ruffles his hair.

"That's the spirit! So, here's the basics of this spell- you are hiding yourself from magic, essentially. If it can't detect you, it can't hurt you or spy on you- you with me so far?"

He nods, looking eager.

"Now, I can't do illusions myself, but, how my sister described it to me is that you are cloaking yourself with power to hide or enhance aspects of yourself. For this one, you are hiding your aura or your life force so the spying magic has nothing to lock on to."

The others listen in amazement, and confusion in some cases, as Jade describes the spell to Shippo.

"Ok, so **normally** a mage can hold this spell, if it is only on themselves, for half a day, sometimes more. The more people the illusion is affecting, the more magic is used and the shorter the overall time the spell is active. **But** ," She holds up a finger, grinning.

"That's where Kaede, Kagome, Miroku and I can help you. We'll make amulets to hold the spell and magic to fuel the spell. That way, you won't be draining yourself of magic all the time and can maintain the spell for a far longer. You will need to renew the spell on the amulets periodically, but if you are careful in how you use them, the spell can be a major trump card for you."

Shippo beams, excited to try the spell. Inuyasha yawns, bored. Kagome, Miroku and Kaede look at Jade with concern.

"How exactly will we be making these amulets?" Miroku questions, doubtful.

"They are going to be something tangible- in all honesty, we could use paper, but I don't want the spell to dissolve because of some rain. So we can use either wood or precious stones- I have plenty of stones by the way." She pulls out a small bag from her pocket and dumps it on the floor.

Rubies, quartz, topaz, sapphires, fluorite, jade, emeralds, pearls, tourmalines, even a few diamonds, bounce on the floor. Kagome gasps, and looks up at Jade with absolute shock.

"Wha-! How?! You even have diamonds?!" Jade blinks.

"Uh, yeah? They taste yummy." She picks one off the floor and looks at it before sighing.

"Too bad they cost so much to get- mining them is a pain too." Kagome squeaks.

"Eat them?! They're _diamonds_! The hardest natural substance on Earth!"

Jade shrugs.

"Well, I do have **Earth** Dragon Slayer magic." She states, stressing Earth. "I can eat anything that is of the Earth- gems, stone, dirt and so on. Gems work best because they are more refined and pack a higher amount of magic than ordinary dirt."

After a long pause, Kaede finally says.

"Lass, what is Dragon Slayer magic? And how does it allow thee to devour gems?"

Jade sighs.

"Okay, Dragon Slayer magic is where the mage takes on the aspects of a dragon to kill dragons. So for instance-"

She holds up her hand and concentrates.

" **Earth Dragon's Diamond Claws!"**

Her hand changes, skin turning to glimmering scales and fingers into powerful claws. Inuyasha sits up, and the others murmur. Jade lets them look for a few more seconds and then dismisses the magic.

"That was my taking on a dragon's claws. I can do the same with any part of my body and my senses are always heightened. Which can be great, but also a major pain in the ass."

Jade picks up a topaz and then deliberately bites it in half, then shows it to them.

"My teeth are pretty much always like this- I have to be able to eat rocks at any time, especially during battle. Since my element is Earth, I can eat things of the Earth and use attacks that are based on Earth."

She eats the topaz and then picks up the magical device, turning it off.

"Come on, we have work to do."

 _Several days later…_

Shippo's spell was a success! Pitting him against the senses of Inuyasha, Jade, Miroku, Kagome and Kaede, he managed to hide his aura completely. Jade then had him set the spell into the amulets and taught them all how to activate them. Inuyasha, eager to leave, had everyone ready to set out the next morning…

"Jade-chan! Why don't you come with us?" Kagome coaxes, pouting. Jade shakes her head.

"Not my way- I'm crappy at traveling with others." Jade stands away from the group, giving them a wry smile.

"Best of luck. Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"You be leaving, lass?" Kaede asks, startled.

Jade nods.

"Time to hit the road. I need to find the ley lines." Soren snorts and paws the ground.

Kagome pouts, but Inuyasha gives her little choice in the matter, hustling her and the rest of his group onto the road.

Jade sees them off and mounts Soren.

"Let's go, partner."

"Lass!"

Jade turns her head to look at Kaede.

"Ye take care now- and come back one day!" She smiles at the older woman and nods.

 _Meanwhile…_

"My Lord! Lord Sesshomaru!"

The stoic Diayoukai ignores Jaken as he meanders, his instincts prickling.

Something was in this area- something that had scared away many youkai and a number of weaker youkai had abandoned the territory altogether. It could not be Inuyasha- he was too weak. The situation did not have the stench of Naraku either.

Sesshomaru walks onward, intent to find out what, or who, has laid claim to these lands.

And to defeat them.


	5. A Battle of Equals?

**First, a shout out to readers that have read my fanfic and those that have subscribed! Thank you very much! I am working on a drawing of Jade so there is an actual picture of her. Note, there will be switches in perspective this chapter and I have labeled them clearly where I deemed needed. As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail- they solely belong to their creators. I** _ **do**_ **own my OCs and my plot twists. Please no flaming, but constructive criticism is appreciated- it lets me know where to improve. And now, here is Chapter 5!**

"Augh, why does this thing hate me so much?! Just _work_ already!" Jade yells, fed up.

The focus of her ire? A drowsing pendant. It had been a better part of two weeks since she had parted company with Kaede and the others.She glares at it, seriously tempted to smash it to pieces. Soren calmly chews grass, unconcerned with Jade's fit of temper.

"It should work, dang it! Just a little bit of magic to focus it and voila! Ley line located! Graaaaaaaah!" She stamps around the clearing, fuming. The pendant remains unchanged in the face of her anger, stubbornly refusing to react. Jade lifts her fist up, ready to smash it-

" _If you break, damage or even scratch ANY of my creations, I will make your life a living hell Jade-onee!"_

Her arm stops mid swing and Jade visibly flinches at the memory. Carefully, she repacks the pendant in the special case for it and stows it away in her pocket.

"Ugh, that was close." Jade scratches her head.

"I'd hate to see what Ryo'd do if I broke it. She's scary enough most of the time-" Abruptly she stops talking, eyes fixed on Soren.

He had stopped eating, his eyes wide and ears twitching. Nervously, he stamps his foot. A warning. Jade takes a deep breath and inhales.

 _Soren, grass, dirt, leather, fresh water, birds, dust, sweat, jerky, apples, rice, oats, spices, gems, dog-_

 _Wait- Dog?_

Jade takes another breath, sifting the scents for the trace of 'dog'.

 _Dog, flowery perfume, human, demon, steel, old blood, sweat, dragon but not dragon- Fluffy Ears?! No, not Fluffy Ears but LIKE Fluffy Ears- without the 'human' mixed in the dog smell. How many? One, two, three, four. Four of them._

Her eyes trace the scent path and she looks deep into the woods, waiting. A long silence, devoid of any sounds of wild life or insects, grows. Jade stays patient: if Not-Fluffy-Ears-But-Like-Fluffy-Earswants to meet her, then they will. If they don't, they don't.

After a long while, she scents the confusing Not-Fluffy-Ears-But-Like-Fluffy-Ears come closer, without their three companions. A white spec appears in the forest, moving smoothly closer. Jade waits, observing them.

Long silver hair, pale skin with magenta markings on their forehead and cheeks, slim but well-built body, fancy clothes and spiky armor. As they grew closer, Jade decided that this was probably a 'he'- as he was at least her height and with no discernable curves.

And there was his scent- normally she doesn't bother with trying to differentiate sex by scent alone. Erza was female with a distinctly masculine scent while Nab smelled more feminine, for example. But her gut seems to be telling her this _is_ male, a demon and his aura tipped her off that he is a powerful one at that.

She grins. Finally, someone fun to fight!

He stops and stares at her, amber eyes assessing her and his face impassive.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

It was a mortal female. A _human_ , at that. She was surprisingly tall, able to look him dead in the eye. Her black hair is an undisciplined mess bound back out of her shockingly green eyes. Her body also had markings, not unlike the Daiyoukai's, which indicate his status. They are not exactly ugly, but foreign and unrefined. Angular, in many shades of green with sections of silver and black drawn in shapes that rather remind him of crystals.

Her clothes are simply strange- a woman, wearing something like a hakama but **far** too tight! He can see the shape of her legs! And her 'top', not that it qualifies as such, revealing her stomach and too much of her cleavage. Sesshomaru couldn't deny that the style of top was striking on her, but it remained far too indecent.

Yet for all her strangeness, he could not ignore or dismiss the feeling of **power** that surrounds her. _Power he wants to test._

 **Jade's Point of View**

She's tired of the silent staring contest. Ok, her clothes are weird, she has tats, and she's really tall and probably the strangest person this guy has ever met- BUT COME ON! Say something, don't just stare like a creepy stalker!

If she was being honest with herself, Jade acknowledges that she really wants to go a few rounds with this guy.

 _Let's see if he's agreeable._ She decides.

"So." He blinks once, eyes focusing on her face instead of her clothes.

"Hiya, I'm Jade. Who're you?" His posture becomes even stiffer and he glares at her.

Jade smiles a little.

 _He wants to be stoic? Then let's tease him a bit._

"If you don't tell me your name, I'll have to make one up for you. Can't just call you 'you'. Hmm," She taps her chin, thinking aloud.

"Since you smell similar to Fluffy Ears, maybe I'll call you Floofy? Nah, you're too aloof for just Floofy. How about Sir Floofy? That sounds nice and regal."

He twitches.

Jade inwardly grins to herself.

 _Ooh, proud are you? He's too easy to tease!_

"Sir Floofy it is! Say, Sir Floofy, aren't you going to bring your companions over so I can greet them properly? Rather rude of you to leave them in the woods like that."

Jade chides him, hand on her hip.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

 _This-_ _ **mortal.**_

 _She dares to mock him? Question him?_ _ **Threaten his pack?**_

 _This Sesshomaru will not have it._

 **Jade's Point of View**

Sir Floofy has moves. It was only thanks to her considerable experience and instincts that let her avoid that first strike.

He was standing there one second, the next he was right in her face trying to run her through. Jade twists to the side and uses one hand to push his shoulder to continue the turning motion. It also has the added bonus of pushing Sir Floofy off balance for three seconds before he righted himself.

His eyes are narrowed as he deliberately cracks his knuckles. But Jade is ready now.

"Hey, you know it's polite to let someone know if you want to have a match. Not that I mind, but just saying, most people would be dead right about now." She comments as she watches his body language. Stiff, but well balanced, no clear tells on which way he will attack next.

Again, Sir Floofy says nothing before going on the attack. Jade blocks the thrust for her torso with one arm, _dang he's strong-!_ And slams her own fist into the breast plate. It cracks. Quickly, she grabs his outstretched arm and throws him.

Or tries to. At the last second, he kicks her in the head to give him the height to completely the rotation to land on his feet. Jade shrugs off the pain, accustomed to it. Unbidden, a grin grows on her face. Jade's blood is singing in her veins, telling her this is a worthy opponent. She laughs aloud.

"I was right about you, Sir Floofy! Now," Her grins turns feral.

"Let's have some fun!"

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

The mortal is laughing. Sesshomaru wonders idly if there is something broken in her head. Then the air around her changes slightly. To the ordinary person, the difference would be unnoticeable- but not to him, a Daiyoukai.

Before, she had been fighting without any seriousness beyond protecting herself- she had no killing intent, no bloodlust. He had to admit she was skilled and did not lack power- his cracked breastplate and her continued existence is proof enough of that. But now the mortal has that edge of viciousness, of battle lust, and his beast's hackles are raised in warning.

She stops laughing and surges forward, but not with the reckless abandon that hanyo favors. The move was only to close the distance, not ram him, and when she steps in range he counters her first punch. But she doesn't stop moving- if one attack does not land, she immediately flows into another. Kicks, punches, chops, thrusts… Gradually a few strikes make it through, but they are glancing.

His eyes narrow.

 _She is still holding back._

He can feel it, much the same way he can assess another demon's yoki for danger.

 _ **Unacceptable.**_

"Do not insult this Sesshomaru with this paltry display."

Jade blinks and lets out a short laugh.

"Wow, you **can** talk!"

Sesshomaru feels the veins in his forehead throb. He summons his poison whip and lashes at her impertinent face. She leans back to avoid it and plants her hands on the ground to support her, then thrust kicks his stomach. Sesshomaru leaps backward to avoid it, coldly eyeing her as she regains her feet.

Green eyes dancing merrily, the mortal glances at his whip and then at him.

"So, you like whips? That's a fun weapon! Smells nasty and is kind of annoying to counter, but still fun!" She chatters, completely ignoring the fact he had tried to decapitate her with it.

"Wench. Do not insult this Sesshomaru. Fight with your full strength- or die." He states, rage simmering under the surface.

Her eyes narrow in consideration, amusement gone.

"First off, I gave you my name, so use it Sir Floofy- or wait, is your name 'Sesshomaru?' Weird name. Any who, secondly- are you absolutely, positively, completely sure you want me doing that? I might accidently injure your companions. And I would **definitely** hurt you."

Sesshomaru has no hesitation, despite her claims.

"Fight this Sesshomaru with your full strength."

She looks at him, reads his resolve in his eyes and body, and nods once.

"Don't blame me if you don't like how this ends," the wench warns him before her power spikes again.

" **Earth Dragon's Battle Scales."** Her skin changes. Skin turning into something hard and glittering, a strange black-grey color with streaks of red. Her skin looks… like… scales. But it was her **scent** that took him by surprise. She always smelled faintly of dragons, but now? Now she smells **exactly** like one. His eyebrow rises in surprise.

The mortal breathes out slowly and looks him dead in the eye.

"Here I come."

 **Naraku's Point of View**

Naraku watches intently as the stranger, who had proclaimed herself 'Jade', clashes with Lord Sesshomaru in Kanna's mirror. It is an impressive fight. The mortal, even without her unusual powers, is able to land strikes on the Daiyoukai constantly.

It's also frustrating.

He wants to know how she does it- the stone skin, the roar, all of it. And yet she has not even once used those abilities with the Daiyoukai. She is fighting Sesshomaru with raw physical strength and speed. It shouldn't have been enough. The woman should be dead by now. But it is enough.

His fingers taps the floor restlessly as he observes the pair- this Jade seems to have a liking for bestowing odd names.

' _Sir Floofy?' What sort of name is that?_

Naraku visibly is more attentive when Sesshomaru speaks for the first time, demanding the foreigner to fight with all her skills.

"Yes, good, goad her- show me her strengths and expose her weaknesses for me, Lord Sesshomaru." Naraku whispers to Kanna's mirror.

Nearby, Kagura carefully watches her creator.

 _What could have him staring at Kanna's mirror so intently?_

Her thoughts are interrupted when Naraku hisses, eyes glued to the reflection. Kagura chances closer, curiosity egging her on. She sees a strange woman, clearly a foreigner, say

" **Earth Dragon's Battle Scales."**

And is stunned by her shocking transformation. Kagura is confused, and clearly so is Naraku since he snarls.

"Again, again with the strange powers!"

 _What? How-?! Her skin! It's- it's like stone! Living, shiny stone!_ Kagura thinks frantically, trying to weight the implications.

Both creator and incarnation spy with bated breath as they watch this stranger start the fight anew with Sesshomaru.

 **Jade's Point of View**

Jade breathes out slowly and gives Sesshomaru a fair warning before launching herself at him. Again, he brings out the whip, but she simply blocks it with her arm, which does not melt as Sesshomaru expects it to. His eyes widen at that.

 _Why would he-? Oh, wait, right. Poison._

Jade muses as she grips the whip and then pulls it toward her. Sesshomaru uses her pull to add strength to his own attack as he slashes her, his fingers glowing green. Weird gunk splashes on her and smells **wrong**. Like, really wrong. The claws themselves leave scratches but no further damage. Jade growls and kicks viciously into his stomach, her stone-coated foot finishing the job of breaking his breastplate. Sesshomaru uses the momentum of the kick to land behind her and attacks again.

She whips one of her fists back and aims for his face- which is suddenly not there as he dodges and slams hard into her. Jade goes into a roll and takes a breath.

 _Ok, that actually hurts a bit- didn't crack my scales but I will definitely have bruises on my ribs later. Sir Floofy- you better not get KO'd by this!_

As she halfway finishes the roll and can see Sesshomaru, she unleashes her attack.

" **Earth Dragon's Roar!"**

From her mouth hundreds of crystals shoot out, starting small and **growing** huge as they travel further from Jade. Sesshomaru manages to dodge a majority of the roar, but has some cuts on his shoulder where crystals had sliced through. The forest behind him was not as lucky. Trees are impaled or sliced through, but the majority of the damage was the trees being ripped up by the initial force of the roar and carried further away. The sheer scale was staggering.

Sesshomaru glances at the destruction and his eyes widen fractionally.

 _That was comparable to Windscar!_

While Sesshomaru is distracted, Jade surges to her feet.

" **Earth Dragon's Ruby Spears."**

As she runs, her legs suddenly transform explosively into two spears made out of ruby, throwing her violently forward.

" **Earth Dragon's Twin Swords!"**

Jade midflight changes the spears into swords and slashes Sesshomaru. He avoids the first and blocks the second with Tokijin. Jade lands on her hands and spins, slashing again with her legs. Sesshomaru blocks both strikes again, but feels the ground shatter under him. He leaps away to give himself some room.

Jade pushes off her hands high into the air and lets her legs change back to normal. She considers the sword and grins at him.

" **Earth Dragon's Ruby Sword."**

Her left arm transforms into a blade nearly four feet long ((about 1.2 meters)). She salutes him and dashes forward again. The swords slam into each other, sparks flying. Her sword skills were surprisingly good- thanks to Erza giving her tips over the years. In terms of physical strength, Sesshomaru is stronger but lacks the second arm to truly overwhelm Jade. The exchange of blows came down to skill and endurance.

But this is Sesshomaru and an S-Class Dragon Slayer- simply fighting to exhaustion is in neither of their styles.

They break apart and Sesshomaru takes the opportunity to use one of his own magical strikes.

" **Dragon Strike!"**

Jade's eyes widen when she sees the wall of lightning coming for her, but she doesn't panic. Instead, she charges. When the lightning is right on top of her, she rams one of her fists into the ground in front of her.

" **Earth Dragon's Rampart!"**

The ground rolls beneath her hand and groans as it suddenly splits apart. A massive wall of stone rises, forcing the lightning to strike that first. Jade jumps, using the energy of the wall rising to further power her leap. Sesshomaru is partially blinded by the dust and doesn't see or smell her immediately. Jade smirks.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

The scales detach from her arms and hail down on Sesshomaru, surprising him. He snarls and unleashes a second lightning strike, hitting Jade directly. She grits her teeth and hangs in there, enduring it. Jade lands hard but closes in fast with Sesshomaru, giving him no breather.

" **Earth Dragon's Crushing Fang!"**

Her fist connects with Tokijin and rips it cleanly out of his grip. He does not falter but again draws his poison whip. Jade hisses as it slashes at her legs, taking it, but she can feel the poison trying to eat through her magic protection.

 _I need to finish this!_

With that in mind, Jade increases her speed and attack power by lessening her scale armor- it was damn useful and very strong but costs in stamina and magic to maintain. She looks into Sesshomaru's amber eyes and says softly,

"Let's end this."

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

His eyes narrow at her words and Jade takes that opportunity to transform her arms.

" **Earth Dragon's Sapphire Claws."**

Her hands become brilliant blue, nails lengthening into claws even the Daiyoukai could approve of and her arms covered with scales to her elbows of the same color. She rips into his stomach with one hand while grabbing his clothes with the other to prevent his escape.

The world seems to still.

Then Jade coughs up blood. Sesshomaru's face is impassive as he removes his own claws from her stomach, ignoring his own wounds. She staggers back, panting, and lets out a low sound. Sesshomaru's eyes widen when he realizes, yet again, the mortal is **laughing**. Despite her injuries, despite their battle, she grins at him and gives him a nod.

"Sesshomaru was it? Congrats!" He stares at her in mute confusion.

 _The mortal is- congratulating him? Why? And did she just use his name?_

Jade seems to read the confusion on his face and smiles at him. There was no animosity in it. **None**. Only a strange kind of mirth and happiness.

"You are the seventh person to ever break my scales, much less met me head on in a fight! It's not often I meet people I don't have to pull my punches with. I appreciate it, seriously! You're the first person I met in this country that gave me a real fight. Let's do this again some time!"

She grins widely and whistles sharply. Soren trots over, snorting at the smell of blood and dog demon. With some difficulty, Jade gets on and gives a wave before Soren races off into the woods. Sesshomaru watches the strange mortal ride away on her beast and muses her words.

 _This Sesshomaru doubts you will survive this one's poison claws… but, it would not be completely repulsive to fight such a powerful foe again._

As he turns to go himself, he feels the damage of bruised and punctured organs from her claws. A deep and debilitating injury that could open him up to attack from weaker foes. Such a blow is worthy of acknowledgement.

 _Wench- no, she referred to herself as 'Jade'. If you survives this Sesshomaru's poison, we shall trade blows again._

 **Jade's Point of View**

 _Shit, getting hammered by Gildarts hurts less than this!_

Jade is visibly unwell, sweating and bleeding everywhere. Soren bunks down in the nearest cave, understanding in his way his partner needed to be inside the earth. Staggering, she pulls out the veiling device Ryo made and activates it. Weakened, her fingers fumble as she removes Soren's saddle and sets up food for him. That done, she leans against the cave wall and closes her eyes and keens softly.

The feeling of foreign magic inside of her makes her want to vomit, but she forces herself to scrap rocks off the walls and eat them. Fever sets in and the pain tears through her constantly. But it abates, if only a little, when she eats the rocks. So she eats, sleeps and tries to not succumb to the poison inside of her.


	6. To the Pain

**Hello! To my subscribers, thank you so much! I really appreciate that you like my fanfic! Sorry for the long wait, it took a while for me to get a groove going for this chapter. As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, just my OC's and random plot twists! Commentary is welcome, as are reviews, but please not flaming! I will be introducing Ryo this chapter, along with another OC- there will also be more of a focus on Earthland this chapter. Now, without further ado, Chapter 6!**

Crunch. Crunch.

Jade's teeth grind up the rocks forming the walls of the cave as her body shakes feverishly.

She can't remember how long it's been since she fought Sir Fluffy. A couple of days? Her memory is so fuzzy right now.

 _ **Pain. Painpainpainpainpai-!**_

She tears another rock off the wall and chews it. The pain abates a little as her magic pushes back against the poison inside of her. Soren snorts at her and goes back to munching on his oats. Jade leans her head back and closes her eyes, listening to the sound of the underground spring.

 _How much longer will this last?_

 **Elsewhere…**

Kagome, Inuyasha and the rest are at Kaede's village, worried and healing from another encounter with Naraku's incarnations.

"Ye have seen nor heard nary a sign of her?" Kaede demands. Miroku shakes his head painfully, recovering from the wasp poison.

"No, priestess. Admittedly, we were not looking very hard, but I doubt one as strong as Jade-san would be killed or captured easily." He reasons.

"Feh. That witch can die for all I care." Inuyasha grumbles, irritated by the mere mention of Jade.

"Inuyasha, Jade-san helped us immensely with avoiding Kanna's spying- it's our fault we forgot Naraku has more mundane methods to spy on us." Sango scolds him, trying to control her own worry. Inuyasha huffs in annoyance and stalks out of the hut to sulk. Kaede shakes her head and says to Sango and Miroku,

"Ye need to find her- wait until Kagome returns from her 'exams', but find Jade. Me thinks something ill has be fallen her."

 **Back in Jade's Cave…**

Something was- _different_. At first Jade hardly noticed, the pain was too intense- not to mention the fever wasn't helping. But the poison… it's no longer attacking her body. It hadn't faded away and neither had the pain, but it no longer is eating away at her organs and muscles. It's almost like Jade had adjusted to it.

 _Why is it different? And why now?_

Jade gazes dully at the caves walls, tired and idly categorizes the rocks and minerals she sees.

 _Basalt, sulfur, pyrite, quartz, random chunks of serpentine, cinnabar, mica… what was it Ryo said about cinnabar? I can't remember…_

…

"Jade-nee! Pay attention!" _Her eyes blearily open and she groans._

"Ryo, can we take a break, please~?" _Jade whines, barely lifting her face off the table._ "We've been doing this for hours!"

"No! You asked for lessons on different rocks and minerals, plus their individual properties- I didn't **have** to make time in my schedule to help you. And how to you repay me? You fell asleep! **While I was lecturing you!** "

 _Jade groans as she looks at her younger sister. Ryo bound her coppery hair back in a braid, coiled and pinned it at the crown of her head. Her handmade hair pins glint as Ryo moves, drawing attention to her face. The rest of her appearance is not nearly as neat or tidy. Ryo is wearing her work clothes, jeans with multiple burn holes and a similarly damaged tank top, all of which is covered by a leather apron. Soot is smeared on her skin and clothes, similar to the color of Ryo's eyes._

 _Though a midnight blue, in the right light they do appear pitch black, almost burning in her angular face. Looking at the two of them, you would never think they are related. Jade towered over Ryo by half a foot and is leanly muscular. Ryo is more compact, wiry and a bundle of furious energy. Fitting that Ryo's tattoo is of flames and smoke- it suits her personality of a firecracker. Jade snaps out of her musings and meets Ryo's gaze, sighing internally._

"Okay, okay, you made your point, I should be more appreciative- but we have been at this for five hours. Can we please take a tiny break?" _Jade pleads, making puppy eyes at Ryo. She snorts, not impressed._

"If you can tell me what the last three substances are called and their major characteristics." _Jade winces and scratches her head._

"Um… Obsidian? Er… Sulfur and… ugh, cinny?" _Ryo karate chops Jade's head._

"Ow!"

"Cinnabar. Say it with me! Sin- Ah- Bar." _Ryo snaps off each syllable precisely._

"Sin-Ah-Bar." _Jade dutifully repeats, rubbing her head. Ryo nods._

"Now, what are they know for?"

"You're relentless."

"I know. Get on with it."

"…" _Jade grimaces and screws up her face as she thinks hard._

"Um, obsidian is volcanic glass that forms naturally… and it can cut really well but its' brittle?" _She looks at Ryo for confirmation, who nods._

"Next."

"Uh, sulfur is a mineral and is found in areas of volcanic activity. It's yellow and smells bad. Um… it's in gunpowder and some medicines."

"Better. Next."

"Cinnabar is… a rock?" _Ryo glares at Jade._

"And?" _Jade scratches her head, thinking._

"… It makes red?" _Ryo face palms._

"It does make vermillion, an ancient dye, as well as being-!"

 _Jade closes her eyes and tunes out, drifting back to sleep as Ryo natters at her._

…

Jade jerks awake in the present, sweating and absently eats another hand full of crystals.

"… I guess I shouldn't have fallen asleep back then."

Soren lifts his head and walks over to her, bumping her gently. She pats him absently, thinking hard then shakes her head in defeat.

"I can't remember squat."

 **Meanwhile…**

 _Northwest of Magnolia, Country of Fiore, World: Earthland_

"Yasmine! Yasmine!" Ryo yells from the kitchen table, glaring at the newspaper in her hands. She doesn't bother to glance up when the older woman wanders in, eating an apple.

"What's the matter, Ryo-chan?" Yasmine asks, relaxed.

Ryo glares at her. Yasmine could be widely considered a beauty- deeply tanned skin, lush figure, eerie green eyes- _eyes like Jade's_ , Ryo can't help thinking, and straight black hair with red highlights pulled back in a ponytail. Yasmine wears her typical sari, deep purple today, with her jangling bracelets and anklets.

"How current is this newspaper?" Ryo demands, smacking it on the table. Yasmine wanders over to look at it.

"It's from yesterday- did you work through the night again? Ryo-chan, you **know** you are supposed to use your bed- it is not a decoration."

Ryo's face turns a little pink.

"That's not-! No! I'm not talking about this right now! The newspaper! Are you sure it is from yesterday?"

Yasmine smiles at Ryo's antics.

"Yes, I am sure it is from yesterday."

"Are you **sure**?! Absolutely, positively sure it's not from another time period like the far past or the future-!"

Yasmine interrupts Ryo by holding up her hand in a 'stop' motion.

"I asked the mail carrier what the date was when he dropped off the mail- it concurred with the date on the newspaper."

Ryo's expression shutters.

"Oh."

Yasmine quirks an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Oh." She snaps the newspaper sharply and holds it up before her face.

Yasmine's eyes narrow and she wanders over to look at it.

"Why are you so concerned about the date, Ryo-chan?"

Ryo quickly closes the paper and stands.

"I don't wish to miss an appointment with Porlyusica-san. She requested more enchanted beakers and bottles."

"Ryo-chan." Yasmine is clearly not buying it.

"Porlyusica-san is very particular and I do not wish to disappoint her." Ryo states, trying to walk past Yasmine.

Yasmine refuses to budge, studying the mage.

"Ryo-chan."

"I need to get back to work- I have a lot to do." She refuses to meet Yasmine's gaze and insistently pushes against her, trying to escape to her workshop.

Yasmine reaches out and gently grips her upper arm. Ryo stiffens and tries to yank free- no such luck.

"Ryo-chan, what is it?" She asks, her voice soft and coaxing.

Ryo says nothing, her body language rigid. The newspaper is crushed in her fist as she squeezes it. Yasmine's gaze flicks to it and she gently tries to remove it from Ryo's grip. Ryo refuses to release it. Yasmine sighs.

"Mageling, let me see." She demands softly, using her pet name for Ryo. Ryo stubbornly shakes her head.

"It's nothing. Absolutely nothing." Yasmine cocks her head.

"If it is nothing, there is no reason to hide it." She reasons.

Ryo remains silent, refusing to answer her. But when Yasmine tugs on the newspaper, she lets it go and turns away to look out the kitchen window. Smoothing the paper, Yasmine starts to read then pauses; she rereads the article again. Still not believing it, her eyes flicker over the words, horror growing.

Fairy Tail.

Gone.

December 16th, Year 784.

Tenrou Island destroyed by the Black Dragon, Acnologia.

Yasmine closes her eyes as the familiar pain of grief washes through her.

 _Why must humans have the briefest of lives and also the most intriguing? It's a curse that they do not live as long as other species. Then again, they would be more boring if they were not so short-lived._

Dropping the newspaper on the floor, she walks over and hugs Ryo from behind. Her body is stiff as a board, but Yasmine can sense the emotions boiling under the surface.

"Oh, Mageling," Yasmine whispers softly, offering her comfort.

"Jade said she would come home. The last letter she sent mentioned she had finished her job with the Wyverns- that was three months ago. She said she would come home to see me." Ryo's voice breaks, but she keeps talking as tears start to fall down her face. Yasmine doesn't release Ryo, but listens as she continues to deny the obvious.

"… There is the possibility that Jade has not made it back to Fiore yet," Yasmine reasons. Ryo blinks and her mind almost audibly snicks into gear as she calculates the possibilities.

"We need to go to the Guild." Ryo decides.

Yasmine smiles slightly.

"I never thought I would see the day you would willingly visit Fairy Tail," She teases as Ryo throws on her coat and preps her Magical Vehicle.

"Shut up. This is an emergency. And you are staying outside." Ryo growls. Yasmine pouts.

"No fair," she complains as they leave.

 _Magnolia, Country of Fiore, World: Earthland_

Ryo shudders at the change in atmosphere of Fairy Tail: normally cheerful and boisterous, the entire guild is gloomy and depressed. Several of the surviving members are crying at tables or the bar. She clenches her teeth and stalks in, trying to remember names desperately. Eventually she spots Macao and his friend Wakaba huddled over a map and arguing.

"Macao!" Her voice roars, startling him and Wakaba.

Heads snap up as other members take an interest in the stranger marching over to Macao.

"She's pretty!"

"Is she one of Macao's ex's?"

"I feel like I've seen her before…"

"For a second I thought Erza had come back!" One of the members cries.

Ryo does her best to ignore them.

 _Ugh, I HATE being here- so much pointless gossip and arguing! Ugh._

She slams a hand down in front of Macao, making him jump.

"Who is in charge?"

He looks about wildly for someone to save him from Ryo's intense attitude. Everyone else keeps their eyes averted, figuratively hanging him out to dry. Wakaba smacks Macao's shoulder.

"Macao is the 'Master' for now, if only because of experience rather than talent." Macao's jaw drops at the insult but Wakaba plows on.

"What do you need, Miss-?"

"Aquilo."

Wakaba's expression freezes.

"Wh-what was that, Miss? Could you repeat that, please?" He asks, his voice trembling.

Ryo's eyes narrow menacingly.

"Aquilo. Do not make me repeat myself again."

"Hey, isn't that-"

"But she doesn't look anything like-"

"She's just as scary-"

"So that's Jade's sister!"

"Which one, though?"

The rest of the guild murmur, appraising her with new eyes.

She glares around the guild.

"Is there a problem?"

As a group they collectively gulp and say

"No, Miss Aquilo!"

She nods dismissively at them and glances back at Wakaba and Macao.

"I have a question I **hope** you are able to answer."

They side glance each other and then at her.

"We will answer your question as best as we are able, Miss Aquilo. But, if you don't mind my asking- are you Masa or Ryo Aquilo?" Macao stumbles over his question as she narrows her eyes at him.

"I am Ryo Aquilo- Masa-onee is somewhere on the other side of the ocean in Alakitasia at present. But I am not asking after Masa-onee. I wish to know if Jade-nee made it to the S-Class exams at Tenroujima. Or if she has even checked into the Guild within the last 3 months."

Ryo demands, her expression intent.

Wakaba and Macao blink in unison.

"Jade? We haven't heard from her in almost a year, much less seen her. If you have gotten messages from her, you are better informed than us at present. But if you can get a message to her, **please** tell her to get here as fast as she can! We really need her- all our other core members are gone, Miss Ryo. She would be the only one left."

Macao stands and bows low. Ryo pauses, considering his request, then nods once.

"I will mention it to her when she is found. In the meanwhile, stabilize Guild finances as best as you are able. Are any of your members skilled with transporting goods safely? Or going on quests to retrieve items?"

Macao nods eagerly.

"That we do Miss Ryo!"

"Fine. I will establish a short-term contract with Fairy Tail for retrieving supplies I need for my workshop, since neither of my sisters are available to do so. If I am satisfied with the results, I will seriously consider a long-term contract. Details will arrive in the next week."

She turns and walks out, leaving a different type of silence in her wake. Eventually, Bisca speaks.

"She is seriously different from Jade."

The others nod in agreement.

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth_

Jade leans heavily against Soren, breathing hard. Maybe moving around this soon is a bad idea, but desperate time's means desperate measures. With no food left in the cave (aside from rocks), they would starve if they didn't move on.

Soren nudges her and huffs in her face. She gives him a pat and mounts.

"You ready, partner?" Soren tosses his head and dances in place, eager to leave. Jade focuses on the magic device that hid their presence and deactivates it.

"Go!"

Soren explodes into motion, charging into the clearing and racing into the woods. Jade lays low on his neck, hanging on grimly as he weaves past obstacles.

"To Granny's, Soren. Get to Granny's boy." She mutters and turns his head in the right direction.

 **Elsewhere…**

"Master…"

Naraku turns and looks at Kanna.

"What is it, Kanna?"

She holds up her mirror, showing him Jade riding Soren. His eyes narrow in glee.

"So she **did** survive Sesshomaru's poison claws- but not without cost it seems," he notes, taking in her sweaty features.

"… Perfect. Send for Kagura- she is to kill Jade while she is weak."

 **Back with Jade**

Everything was fine for most of the first day's ride- no demons, no humans. Day two was when trouble arrived- Jade smelled Naraku-but-not-Naraku and heard a bunch of insects. She pulled up the reins, stopping Soren as she tries to locate the enemy.

 _Above- and to my left for the most part. Should we run?_

…

 _No, they are too close. We'll have to fight._

Decided, she lifts her head and glares in the general direction of the enemy.

"Come on out."

Laughter answers and dozens of wasp things fly out. Jade is unimpressed.

"Get 'em Soren."

The Wapiti leaps forward and crushes two beneath his hooves before kicking out behind him, striking another. Jade concentrates and lays both of her hands on his neck.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Armor."**

Where her hands touch his fur, magic sparks and spreads- fur turns to crystal. Soren shakes his head, his fur chiming as the mini crystals strike each other. She grits her teeth- the pain spiked when she used her magic.

 _No matter, I can handle it._ Her eyes narrow.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Stamina!"**

More magic pours from her hands and soaks into Soren. His muscles bunch and he tucks his head down and stabs a few wasps with his horns. He tosses them off and leaps forward as Jade nudges him into a run. Soren deftly darts between trees, forcing the wasps to break formation. Jade focuses on her arm and lets her magic build there.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

The forest in front of her is blasted to smithereens. She grimaces.

 _Great, my control's absolute shit. Fantastic._

The wasps try to sting her, but she deftly slices or crushes them, the fight clearing her mind and allowing her to focus. Several get a sting in, but her quick call up of armor foils the attackers. Eventually, none of the wasps are alive. Soren prances in place, eager for more. She pats his neck, soothing him.

"Are you going to keep hiding? Or do I have to drag you out by the hair, you Pervert Baboon?" Jade demands, annoyed with the coward.

"How crass- are you a barbarian?!" A woman's voice responds.

The trees bend in a sudden wind as a woman in red and white kimono appears from the sky. Her red eyes glare into Jade's green ones. Jade shrugs in response.

"It got you to come out, didn't it?"

The woman blinks in surprise. Jade gives her a look over and shakes her head with a sigh.

"Not him, but like him. This country is annoying! I guess I'll call you Breezy Lady."

Kagura is taken aback by the turn in conversation. Her finger clench around her fan.

"My name is Kagura, one of Naraku's incarnations!" She declares, determined to not be known as Breezy Lady.

Jade tilts her head.

"Naraku? I feel like I heard that name before- gimme a minute. Hmm… Oh! Pervert Baboon! No wonder you smell alike."

Kagura clearly doesn't know how to handle Jade's constantly off-color remarks.

 _Why is she so strange?! Ugh, I need to deal with her fast- she was strong enough to fight to a draw with Sesshomaru after all!_

"Enough! Dance of Blades!" Kagura sends her wind blades flying at Jade and Soren. Soren withstands the first volley easily, the wind only scratching his crystalline fur. Jade's eyes focus on Kagura's power and mentally analyzes it.

 _Wind based- multiple blades coming in a staggered times at various angles. Sufficient to slice a regular person to pieces. Does it require using the fan? It seems to originate from there- in that case, destroy the fan and pummel her into submission!_

Jade grins widely.

" **Earth Dragon's Quartz Spear!"**

Her left arm transforms into clear crystal and extends forward, aiming for Kagura's chest. Startled, Kagura barely stumbles out of the way. Jade kicks free of the saddle and jumps onto the ground, concealing a wince as the wound in her stomach protested.

"Ya know, I never understood the mentality that if you attack from far away, other people can't hit back,"

Jade comments, using her arm to slash at Kagura's feet and uses the recoil to spray dirt in her eyes. As Kagura frantically tries to protect her eyes, Jade lunges forward and kicks her hard in the gut flinging her back. Kagura flips onto her feet, holding her gut and coughing up some blood. Jade stays where she is and shakes her head sadly.

"Now **that's** just sad; I barely hit you and you're already coughing up blood. Now it makes sense why you prefer long distance attacks- you can't take a hard hit worth shit."

"Dance of the Dragon!"

Kagura yells, unleashing her strongest attack. Jade quirks her eyebrows as several cyclones manifested and torn up the ground around her. Soren leaps out of the way, ears against his skull as the winds howl- Jade stays where she is, mostly unconcerned. Kagura desperately puts more power into the attack and the cyclones slam viciously into Jade.

"Yeesh, desperate much?"

Jade keeps a disappointed expression on her face- inwardly she is fighting hard to control the pain from her wound, which just got aggravated, thank you so much Breezy Lady. With the pain growing every second, she knows she needs to finish the fight fast.

 _Definitely resting at Granny's when I get back there,_ she decides.

"Let's put you out of your misery, shall we?"

Kagura's eyes widen when she feels a surge of energy building in the air around her, emanating from her opponent.

" **Earth Dragon's Crushing Fang!"**

Kagura manages to twist out of the way, horrified by the crater left behind where she had been standing.

 _I need to get away!_

"Dance of Blades!" She fires off the spell quickly and runs, pulling out a feather as she goes.

"Again-?" Jade sighs.

"Seriously, this is annoy-"

 **CRACK**

Jade goes still and Kagura seizes her chance.

 _I don't know what that was, but thank the gods she stopped!_

Kagura starts to fly away on her feather, clutching her gut. Jade pulls out of her pocket a glass drowsing pendent- or what used to be one. She stares at it and starts to shake violently.

" **You…"** Kagura feels a chill run down her spine and glances back to see Jade running flat out beneath her, gaining on her!

" **Do you have any goddamn idea what you've DONE?!"** She roars.

Kagura desperately flies faster- no such luck.

" **Earth Dragon's Roar!"**

The blast rips through her feather and sends her tumbling to the ground- Kagura gets on her feet, fear driving her to flee this threat. Jade snarls viciously, covering the distance swiftly.

"Dance of Blades!"

Kagura screams, fending her off. Jade retaliates by slamming through and stabbing Kagura in the shoulder, pinning her against a tree. Kagura struggles and only stops when she feels claws crush her throat. Terrified, she has no choice but to meet the gaze of the enraged Dragon Slayer.

" **You just broke one of my SISTER'S devices! She'll hunt us BOTH down for that! You for BREAKING IT- me for LETTING YOU!"**

Kagura gasps for breath, barely registering Jade's words. Jade's vision goes red- she rarely lets herself get angry since it's mostly unproductive. But this- this was too much. She was aching, not in her home world, hungry and had been poisoned and wounded a few days ago. Now one of Ryo's devices was broken by this idiot!

 _Enough. Just- ENOUGH!_

Sesshomaru's poison inside of her reacts- not with pain this time. Just power. Instinctively, she allows it to surge through her arms, no longer caring the consequences.

 _It's not as if it can do worse than Ryo will when she finds out._ She reasons idly.

Kagura screams as she feels something burning into her skin, eating it away. Frenzied, she slams her fan at Jade, coincidently striking her wound. Jade instinctively releases Kagura with a snarl and Kagura takes the moment to strike her back.

"Dance of the Dragon!"

Jade blocks the worst of the wind with her arms, but is successfully blown off of Kagura, who makes good on her get-away. Howls rend the air when Jade realizes her prey had escaped and she punches the tree, furious.

It melts.

Jade blinks in confusion. Soren looks on, worried. She looks at her fingers- they are glowing a green-silver color she had never seen before.

"What the hell?" She asks the world.

The world chooses not to reply.


	7. Friends and Revelations

**Hello everybody! Already on chapter 7?! Time flies! Sorry it has taken this long- this was a harder one for me. As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, just my OCs and plot twists. I'm so happy that I got my first review, thank you so much! Please comment and review, but refrain from flaming please. If there are concepts I am not explaining very well, please let me know!**

Inuyasha's ears twitch and he looks to his right, startled.

 _What was THAT?! My hackles are raised?! As if I'll let a roar scare me-!_

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asks, stopping next to him. The rest of the group pauses as well, looking at him. Inuyasha's face turns a bit red.

"Nothing, I'm fine, idiot!" He snaps, walking faster.

The rest of the group glance at each other and shrug.

"Maybe he's irritated because there haven't been any new shards lately," Sango whispers to Kagome. Kagome nods in agreement.

"Inuyasha is just an idiot!" Shippo declares, comfy in the bike basket.

Inuyasha whips his head around, ready to clobber him- and stops, his nose twitching.

"Kagura?!" The group goes on high alert, readying their weapons.

From the forest Kagura flees on her feather, clearly having been on the wrong side of a fight. Team Inuyasha blinks, surprised at the damage she had taken. Stab wounds, burns and lacerations have ripped her clothes to pieces- she is not in a good state. She notices them, hesitates and veers away from them.

 _I can't take them right now!_ She thinks frantically.

"Wait! Kagura!" Inuyasha roars, furious, and starts chasing her.

She grits her teeth and puts on more speed, eventually losing him in the dust. He snarls, and goes back to the group. Miroku's expression is thoughtful when Inuyasha returns.

"Kagura didn't look so good, did she? I wonder with whom she had fought?" Miroku muses aloud, rubbing him chin. Sango purses her lips, considering options.

"I don't know- there aren't many that can inflict serious injuries to her. Inuyasha could, but he was with us. Lady Kikyo is unlikely… Sesshomaru is a possibility-"

"Feh! It wasn't that bastard, I would have smelled him! Besides, he would have killed her outright instead of letting her run off wounded."

"But who else could have done it?" Kagome wonders.

Shippo looks at them all and says slowly,

"You know- there **is** someone else." Everyone stares at him blankly. He sighs loudly, disappointed with them.

"You know, the person we're supposed to find?"

More blank stares. Shippo gives them a patronizing smile.

"Jade." Blank expressions become animated with surprise- or annoyance, in Inuyasha's case.

"Of course! That makes sense, actually!" Miroku grins, happy in his thoughts of the foreign beauty. Sango nods in agreement.

"Given her skills, I would not be surprised if she beat Kagura." She states confidently. Inuyasha glares off moodily.

"Feh. She isn't that great," He mutters in a surly tone. Kagome gives him a sharp look- Shippo sees his opportunity to needle Inuyasha.

"Sure, she isn't that great- Jade only kicked your butt twice in a row. No big deal since you're such a wimp!" He says with a shrug, holding his hands up as if to say 'oh well'.

Inuyasha lashes out, predictably, and Shippo rides in the hand basket with a large lump on his head as the group moves towards where Kagura had fled from. As they progress further into the woods, they start seeing strange crystals impaled in the ground or trees. Kagome stares around, wide-eyed and Miroku examines them.

"I wonder if we can sell these…" He muses and pockets a few before running to catch up.

Suddenly the woods end and they stare at the mass destruction; trees torn apart, craters pocketing the ground, streams dammed, animals fled or hiding. The crystals are far larger here, as big as a human male and glowing faintly a rich green color. Sango touches one and hisses, pulling her hand back- slight cuts mar her fingers.

"Don't touch them! They slice at the touch!"

Shippo jerks his hand back and Kirara mews, distressed by the scent of Sango's blood and starts to lick the cuts clean.

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"** A voice howls nearby and the group has to cover their ears, it was so loud!

"Wh-what was that!?" Kagome yells over the noise, terrified.

The others are in no shape to answer, half deaf from the roar and slightly stunned to boot. The sound ends abruptly- Kagome grimaces and tries to stop the ringing in her ears. Then a voice says in a confused tone,

"What the hell?"

Kagome blinks in surprise.

 _Is that-?_

She breaks into a run, Inuyasha yelling behind her furiously. Her feet quickly take her to the new edge of the forest and she spots a familiar figure.

"Jade-chan!" Jade snaps her head around, distracted from the melted tree. She blinks in surprise.

"Oh, hi Kagome! Long time no see!" As the rest of Team Inuyasha rush into the open, prepped for battle, she waves at them too.

"Yo! Long time no see!" They blink and take stock of the situation.

"Um, Jade-san..? Did you happen to see a monster near here? It seems very dangerous!" Sango asks, her eyes flicking back and forth looking for the enemy.

Jade tilts her head at her.

"Monster? What monster?"

"The one that tore up the forest! And roared so loud!" Shippo squeaks, tail fluffed up in panic.

Jade glances around- all she sees is the damage she caused during her rampage. She scratches her head, befuddled.

"You think a monster caused all of this?"

Inuyasha snorts.

"Oh course! We should kill it before it hurts anyone!" He unsheathes Tessaiga.

Jade holds up her hands trying to stall him.

"Wait a sec-"

Miroku pulls out some of the crystals he had pocketed and shows them to Jade.

"Jade-san, have you ever heard of a monster that leaves these in its wake?" She leans back, flustered.

"Well, yeah, they're-"

"So what kind of monster is it?!" Inuyasha growls.

"There's no monster! This was **me** , dammit!" She finally yells, shutting them up.

Awkward silence falls on the group as they stare at the Dragon Slayer. She sighs and pushes her hair out of her face, exhausted.

"Look, I was just in a fight and this is what the aftermath can look like; Dragon Slayer magic **is** one of the highest grade destructive magics in existence. It isn't a shocker for a Dragon Slayer to lay waste to entire towns! The crystals you found I made with magic, it was part of one of my attacks, but they'll disperse in an hour or so. The roar? Also me because that Breezy bitch aggravated my injury and I was **pissed** she managed to get away from me and I'm absurdly hungry! Happy now? You met your **'monster'** , everybody, congrats!"

She glares at all of them, daring them to say anything. Kagome checks Jade over for the 'injury' she had mentioned and her eyes widen at the stab wound in Jade's gut.

"Jade-chan! What is that from?!" Jade blinks and follows Kagome's pointing finger to her gut. She scratches her head and sighs.

"It's a stab wound."

"From what?!" Kagome demands.

"Sir Floofy." Jade says as if this is the total explanation needed. Kagome is taken aback.

"Who?"

"Sir Floofy." Jade repeats patiently.

"… Um, who is Sir Floofy?" Kagome finally asks. Jade grins at her.

"A damn decent fighter! Gave me the best fight I've had since coming here! He had silver hair like Fluffy Ears but had facial tats instead of cute dog ears. Funny clothes though- big pants, a red and white top thing you guys have, some spiky armor and two swords. Come to think of it-"

She looks at Inuyasha, curious.

"He smelled like you too- certainly didn't act like you though! He kind of acted like some of the knights I used to see in the capital, so I decided to call him 'Sir Floofy'!"

Team Inuyasha collectively sweat drops at this and look to Kagome to coax answers out of Jade.

"Um, Jade? Was his name Sesshomaru?" Kagome asks, terrified of the answer.

Jade furrows her brows and really thinks about it.

"… That kinda **sounds** like what he said. He was talking in third person too! So weird, but so much fun to fight!"

Inuyasha steps up close to Jade- too close.

"You fought that bastard and thought it was fun?!" He hisses, eyes burning with hate.

Jade blinks at him.

"Well, yeah. I actually had to use some of my stronger moves and he managed to pierce my scales. That part wasn't so fun, especially the poison. We landed mutual hits though; I probably crushed most of his internal organs so it's a fair exchange." She shrugs and smiles when Soren trots up.

"Heya boy, you have fun killing the nasty bugs?" He tosses his head and dances in place, fur chiming.

Team Inuyasha gape at his change in appearance.

"Hey, why does he look like that?" Shippo demands, enraptured.

Jade laughs.

"It was my magic that did that, Shippo. Come to think of it, I probably should undo it." Soren bumps his head against her palm and huffs at her.

" **Release."**

The magic shatters and Soren's coat goes back to normal. More gaping ensues.

"Can you do that to anyone?" Shippo demands, visions of himself fighting valiantly in glittering armor.

Jade considers Shippo's question, yawning as she replies.

"Yeah, I can but it takes a toll- the most I've ever managed was three people. Support magic is pretty difficult for me, so I usually focus on offense rather than defense." She leans against Soren, clearly exhausted.

Her stomach growls loudly, making Shippo laugh. Inuyasha twitches in irritation.

 _Even her stomach is loud-!_

"Do you have any food for a starving gal?" Jade pleads, making puppy eyes at Kagome.

Kagome nods, relieved to focus on a normal topic.

"Sure! Just let me get a fire going!" Team Inuyasha settle down for the impromptu lunch as Kagome makes instant ramen while Jade tries not to drool.

Jade reverently takes the ramen cup with both hands and inhales: heaven.

"Thanks for the food!" She crows and digs in.

Kagome is taken aback by her enthusiasm but smiles, happy the Dragon Slayer is enjoying her food. The rest of the group chats about what their adventures have been since last seeing Jade. Inuyasha stays to the side, sulking and refusing to interact with Jade at all. After eating Jade cleans up and puts out the fire, saving a few coals in a gourd for later.

"I'm gonna head on back to Gran's. What are you guys gonna do?" Jade asks, looking visibly better from the food.

"We will accompany you to Kaede-sama's village, Jade-san." Miroku answers for the group.

She quirks her eyebrow and shrugs.

"Suit yourselves," Jade mounts up and Shippo watches, looking wistful.

Jade notices.

"You want to hitch a ride, Shippo?"

"Can I, can I, can I?!" He asks excitedly.

Jade laughs and clucks to Soren, who bends his front legs and lowers his head into a bow. Shippo clambers up and hangs on tightly to Soren's horns as he stands back up.

"Hang on, Shippo, Soren doesn't like to go slow," Jade warns him before urging Soren into an easy canter.

Kirara shifts into her larger form and seems to urge Sango and Miroku to get on her back. The instance they do, she takes off to catch up with Soren.

"Kirara?!" Sango shouts, surprised.

Soren eyes Kirara out of one eye, snorts, and runs even faster. Kirara yowls and speeds up to match him. Jade laughs loudly and Shippo whoops at the sheer speed. Behind them, Kagome and Inuyasha travel at a more sedate pace, just keeping the others in sight.

"I don't like her," Inuyasha tells Kagome, glaring at Jade's back.

"Why not?"

"She's suspicious! The wench says she fought Sesshomaru of all people to a draw! And there's those freaky powers of hers- I don't like it." He growls, trying to put his feelings into words.

Kagome looks at him, noting his expression; it almost looks like… envy?

"Why is it such a big deal that her powers are strange? And you've fought Sesshomaru to a draw before." She points out, soothing him.

Inuyasha snorts and seems to relax slightly.

"Yeah, I guess. She's not that big of a deal," He mutters.

Kagome sighs internally.

 _So he's jealous of Jade-chan's strength..? He seems really threatened by her-_

Inuyasha stops suddenly and Kagome collides with him, falling off her bike.

"Ow! Inuyasha!" She yells, furious.

"Stay behind me!" He snaps, drawing Tensaiga. Kagome stops arguing and tenses.

"What-?"

A howl of wind tears through the trees and a whirlwind appears. In moments, a figure races up only to stop a few steps away from Inuyasha and Kagome. A tall man with blue eyes and a black ponytail dressing in armor and furs glare at them. His expression changes to smitten when he sees Kagome.

"My woman!" Kagome sighs.

"Hi Koga…"

His smile changes to a scowl when he looks at Inuyasha, who sneers back.

"Still hanging around with this loser? When are you going to dump him and come with me, Kagome?" He demands arrogantly.

"As if she would be with a mangy wolf like you!" Inuyasha snarls.

"Please, better me than a half-breed puppy!" Koga retorts.

"Why you-!" Inuyasha yells.

"Wanna go, mutt?!" Koga growls, flexing his muscles (totally trying to impress Kagome).

"Oi, why are you two not keeping up?"

Inuyasha and Koga turn to snarl at the newcomer and stop for different reasons. Koga stops because a woman on top of a huge animal he has never seen before is glaring at him. Inuyasha because Kagome grabs his arm and shakes her head frantically.

"Why are you here, Jade-chan?" Kagome calls, secretly relieved the fight is stalled.

Jade glares at them.

"We came back because I couldn't hear you two following and got worried. Sango, Kirara and Miroku are coming back too. Who's this? A friend of yours, Kagome? Inuyasha?" Jade demands, leaning forward on the saddle pommel.

Kagome sighs.

"This is Koga- he's a friend. Sort of. He's after Naraku too." She explains, trying to stay behind Inuyasha as she talks to Jade.

"So why did he call you 'my woman'?" Jade asks, glaring at Koga.

"Feh, he just wants to use her to find jewel shards!" Inuyasha growls, itching to pulverize Koga's face. Jade's expression becomes exasperated.

"So he's a problem- and a friend?" She states, growing more annoyed with this entire situation.

"Heh, at least I love her! Kagome, be my mate!" Koga demands; Kagome hides behind Soren this time. Jade rubs her head, irritation building.

"Koga was it? Stop your shit, you're making Kagome uncomfortable." Inuyasha huffs in agreement.

"Yeah, keep your mangy paws off Kagome!"

"As if, half-breed!" Koga snarls, baring his teeth at Inuyasha.

"… Why do I feel like I'm watching a stupider version of Natsu and Gray with Loki thrown in?" Jade mutters to herself as she watches the two of them bicker with each other.

Shippo pops up from behind Jade's back and sighs when he sees what's going on.

"Those two never get along," He tells Jade, munching on a chip.

Jade quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Really? Can't say I'm shocked- do I get to try one of those?" Shippo grins and lets her eat one.

"Yum! I don't know where Kagome gets her food, but it's delish!" Jade praises.

Kirara, Sango and Miroku ride up as the bickering turns to a brawl.

"My my, they're at it again?" Miroku observes as Inuyasha tries to decapitate Koga, who dodges. Sango sighs and settles down to wait.

Jade sneaks another chip, laughing when Shippo catches her. Kagome gives her an anxious disbelieving look.

"How are you so calm? They're fighting!" Jade shrugs.

"Nothing I haven't seen before to some degree; I told you, my Guild gets into huge mass brawls with each other on a daily basis. So, same old, same old."

"But- did anyone stop the brawls?" Kagome demands, shocked.

Jade starts to shrug, stops and frowns.

"Well… define what you mean by 'stops'." Kagome blinks.

"There's no more fighting!" She snaps, frustrated.

Jade's face goes blank then she nods slowly.

"… There were two people at my Guild who would stop the fights; one was Gramps, the Guild Master. The other was Erza." Kagome latches onto that.

"How did they stop the fights?" She asks eagerly.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo lean in, interested. Jade ruffles her hair, then says,

"Gramps would yell- Erza would wade into the middle of it and subdue the worst offenders. Most of the Guild wouldn't fight Erza or Gramps if they could avoid it. That's basically it." Kagome droops, hope in a better solution to stopping the brawl gone.

Jade looks at her in concern.

"You okay?" Kagome shakes her head.

"No, I'm not! All they do is bicker and fight and they won't stop when I ask them to!" She yells, almost wailing.

Jade tilts her head and thinks hard.

"So… you want them to not fight?" She asks slowly.

Kagome nods, tears glittering in her eyes. Jade rolls her eyes.

"You could have just said so!" She kicks free of the stirrups and starts striding towards the two combatants.

Kagome blinks, confused.

 _What is she going to do?_

As Jade walks closer, she notices a pattern in their movements she could take advantage of.

 _Ok, how did Erza scare Natsu and Gray into behaving again? I think she just pummeled them into submission over and over again. Anyway, let's try it!_

Jade sudden blurs and grabs the backs of both Koga's and Inuyasha's heads.

"Wah!"

"The hell-!"

And smashes their heads together; both try to attack her but Jade simply keeps slamming their heads together until they can barely twitch. Jade then holds both of them close to her face so there is no way they can mishear her.

"No fighting." She tells them and drops them on the ground.

Both groan loudly, clutching their heads. She dusts off her hands and glances at Team Inuyasha. Shippo is laughing on top of Soren, Kirara is indifferent while Sango, Miroku and Kagome are all stunned by Jade's behavior. Jade grins at them.

"Looks like Erza was onto something," She says cheerfully and carries Inuyasha over her shoulder back to Soren, then Koga.

When she reaches Soren, Jade pulls out long braided leather ropes and ties Inuyasha to the saddle. She repeats the procedure with Koga, tying him in front of where she would sit. He snorts at the new weight but stays still. Jade mounts up and looks at the group.

"What? Let's go!" Jade whoops and Soren explodes into a gallop, leaving the others in the dust. Shippo is laughing and poor Inuyasha and Koga can only groan as they race down the road.

Sango shakes her head, smiling a little at the sight of the two rivals tied up like baggage. Kagome is worried by Jade's brutal methods while Miroku daydreams of copping a feel of Jade's backside.

 **Country: Fiore, World: Earthland**

"YASMINE! Come quick!"

Yasmine glances up from her book and sedately marks the page number before closing it and setting it aside. A number of loud crashes and bangs ring out from Ryo's workshop and Yasmine wonders what has gotten Ryo this excited.

Yasmine reaches the workshop door and uses the magic key Ryo had given her to pass the wards. As she opens the door, Yasmine feels Ryo's magic roar past her and continue deeper into the house. Mentally she sighs.

 _I wonder what will be changed this time…_

Yasmine makes certain to close the door and looks for Ryo. The workshop is a massive room with two walls dedicated to Ryo's various powders, chemicals and reference books. One wall has her furnace, glory hole, mechanical torch and annealing oven as well as her glassblowing pipes. The last has a massive workbench the length of the wall and is currently where Ryo is standing, bouncing up and down urgently in front of a massive crystal ball.

"Ryo..?"

"There you are! Hurry up and get me the lacrima on the first wall labeled Jade! I can't hold this damn connection much longer!"

Yasmine doesn't need to be told twice. She blurs and grabs the lacrima, checking the label quickly before bringing it to Ryo. Ryo's face is stiff with concentration as she holds out one trembling hand for the lacrima. Yasmine smacks it into her palm and Ryo immediately draws out some of the magic bound inside and feeding it into the spell she is holding.

Yasmine holds her breathe, waiting, hoping. A moment passes and the crystal ball suddenly shows a whirlwind of different landscapes, barely staying with any one for more than a moment. Some of them Yasmine recognizes from around Earthland- others she remembers from their trips to other worlds. It finally settles to display a world that is mostly water with large continents scattered on its surface. As they watch, it starts to zoom in on one particular region slowly.

Ryo sighs and falls into an armchair, fatigued. Yasmine grabs a water pitcher and cup, fills it and passes the cup to Ryo. She blearily stares at the cup for a moment, not understanding, then accepts it.

"Thanks," Ryo mutters before swigging it.

"Ryo-chan. What was that, exactly?" Yasmine demands, hands on her hips.

Ryo rubs her face and growls,

"A tracking spell, what else?" Yasmine blinks.

"But I thought you tried that already." Ryo rolls her eyes.

"Obviously- but that was me fumbling for a connection solely on my end. It didn't **work** because Jade-nee isn't even in Earthland." Yasmine jerks back in shock.

"I thought she couldn't jump worlds!" She argues, wide-eyed.

Ryo shrugs, tired.

"I don't know **how** she did it, but she **did** manage the deed." Yasmine's mind works furiously, figuring angles and possibilities before a more important question comes to mind.

"But how did you figure out she is in another world?" Yasmine questions, confused.

Ryo smirks.

"Remember that dud of a drowsing pendant I gave Jade-nee, the one that doesn't actually work? She, or something in that world, broke it. It didn't have much of my magic in it, but there was enough of it released for me to start the tracking spell. But it ran out half way, so I needed the lacrima Jade-nee filled with her magic to finish the spell. Good timing, by the way, but could you come **quicker** next time?!" Ryo snaps, glaring at Yasmine.

Yasmine shrugs, unapologetic, and examines the scene in the crystal more intently. Her eyes widen when she sees the landscape coming into view.

"Ryo."

Ryo blinks, unaccustomed to Yasmine being so serious.

"W-what?" She stammers, wary now.

"I recognize this world." Ryo's eyes widen in surprise and then in happiness.

"Really?! That's great, it will make finding Jade-nee so much easier-!"

"Ryo."

"I wonder what catalyst would be best for this-?" Ryo chatters, not noticing Yasmine's tone.

Yasmine grips Ryo by the arm, stopping her. Ryo blinks and really looks at her.

"You won't need one of your catalysts, Ryo." She tells her gently.

Ryo glares at her, confused.

"Why not?!" Her voice roars, unconsciously amplified with magic.

Yasmine refuses to flinch, meeting her fury calmly.

"That's my home world, Ryo." She tells her softly.


	8. Sisters and Idiots

**Hello everybody! Wow, more and more people are reading this! And it's already at chapter 8; I seriously have no idea how long this fanfic is gonna turn out, but I hope you all enjoy reading it! As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, just my OCs and plot twists. Please comment and review, but refrain from flaming please. If there are concepts I am not explaining very well, please let me know!**

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth._

"You two had enough?" Jade inquires, hands on her hips.

Inuyasha and Koga are puking their guts out on the side of the road, unable to do anything else. Soren tosses his head, eager to run further, while Shippo giggles at the pair.

"Who- _bleah_! Is this- _ulp, bleah_! Chick?!" Koga gasps, clutching his guts.

"Jade-!" Inuyasha growls before his face turns green again.

It takes a while before the two can stagger to their feet, but thanks to their demonic powers it's faster than average. Jade quirks her eyebrow at them and keeps her face stern as they simultaneously glare at her.

"Why'd you do that?!" Inuyasha yells, furious and humiliated.

"Yeah! It wasn't any of **your** business, so why'd you butt in?!" Koga adds, fingers cracking as he flexes them.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"Kagome doesn't want you two fighting; since you wouldn't listen to her, I stepped in. Yeesh, now I know how Gramps felt each time we messed up the Guild."

Koga and Inuyasha blink, confused by the sudden change in topic. Jade shakes her head and glares at them- both instinctively step back.

"Anywho, if you two are going to be fighting **every** **time** you run into each other, just remember this; I was taking it easy on you two. There is **plenty** more where this came from." She jerks her thumb back at Soren, who scraps the ground.

They blanch. Soren gives them a decidedly evil grin (as much as a he is able to) and starts walking towards them. Jade grabs his halter and gives him a couple of pats on the head.

"Yup, you did good, partner. Shame we didn't go full speed that would have been fun!" Her own expression is rather evil as she grins at them.

 _What does she mean by 'full speed'?!_ Both of them think, panicked.

Jade walks over to them and gives them both pats on the shoulder. Both flinch. She laughs.

"Don't worry about it- unless you two end up picking fights with each other, then please by all means worry away! Don't upset Kagome, okay?"

She reaches her arms over her head and yawns.

"I'm starved! Who wants to find food?"

Inuyasha gapes at her.

"You just ate!" Jade rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, but packaged ramen doesn't have enough in it to keep my stomach full for very long. Hmm, you think there is boar around here?"

Koga crosses his arms.

"Oh course there is!" He says boastfully.

Jade grins at him.

"Great! Where?" Koga blinks and skitters back.

"Ah…" Jade notices and her grin widens.

"Hmm? What? Do I scare you?" He growls in aggravation.

"No! Of course not! Why would I be scared of a mere girl?"

Jade looks at him, green eyes glittering dangerously; Koga's hackles rise in terror. Inuyasha snorts, crossing his arms.

 _This ought to be good._ He thinks, watching how Jade seemingly innocently stalks towards Koga as she smiles at him.

"A mere girl?" She asks, her voice deceptively soft.

Koga bolts, unable to stay near her any longer when every one of his instincts was telling him to **leave**. Jade cocks her head and grins, baring her teeth.

"Oh I don't think so."

She explodes into motion, pursuing Koga and **gaining** on him rapidly. Koga risks a glance over his shoulder- his eyes widen and he redoubles his efforts to flee. Jade laughs and starts to push herself- Koga is giving her a serious work out! Soren dances, eager to join in. Shippo looks down at him and suddenly has a terrible idea.

"Hey Soren! You want to chase that no good wolf too?" He asks coyly. Inuyasha glances back at him, wondering what he was up to.

Soren's eyes gleam and he bobs his head 'yes'; both Shippo and Inuyasha blink in surprise.

"Wait- you can understand me?!" Shippo gasps, surprised.

Soren snorts and nods again, then looks toward Koga and Jade, pawing at the ground. Shippo gulps and grips Soren's horns tightly.

"Go get 'em, Soren!" He tilts his head and stamps the ground- Inuyasha jumps back when he senses magic building in the Wapiti's hooves.

"Shippo! Get off-!"

 **BOOM.**

Inuyasha is knocked over as Soren breaks the sound barrier, Shippo screaming as the Wapiti joyfully chases Koga and Jade. Jade snaps her head around, sees Soren going all out and gets out of the way. Koga is not as lucky.

Soren tramples him, turns around and tramples him again then tosses him into the air using his horns. Koga lands near Inuyasha, looking worse for wear. Jade puts her hands on her hips and glares at Shippo.

"That was **really** stupid, Shippo. You could have died easily if you fell off of Soren." She lectures him.

Shippo groans, queasy.

"I won't do it again- don't hit me!" He begs fearfully.

Jade gives him a bewildered look.

"Why would I hit you? You clearly regret doing it." Shippo stares at her, surprised.

"Bu you hit Inuyasha and Koga…" Jade rolls her eyes.

"They don't listen to reason."

"Oi!" Inuyasha protests, walking up.

She smirks at him.

"What? It's true." Koga groans feebly, almost accenting her point.

She looks at him and sighs.

"I guess I better make sure Soren didn't break anything important…" She mutters as she makes her way to him.

Briskly, she feels his arms and legs, then his torso and neck. Inuyasha blushes a little at how forward she is being while Shippo gives Inuyasha odd looks. Jade sits back on her hunches and gives Koga a pitying smile.

"Good news- Soren didn't break your neck, spine, skull or pelvis. Bad news- he broke almost everything else. Yeesh, I need to take Soren out for a real run soon!" Koga moans.

Jade shakes her head sternly.

"Don't expect pity from me- you tried to run off and I wasn't done with you. Soren was just a lot rougher than I would have been. Don't worry, I'll knock you out so you don't feel it." She tells him before karate chopping his neck.

Koga slumps into unconsciousness while Inuyasha stalks over to them and points at Soren.

"What the **hell** is that **thing?!** " He yells at Jade.

Soren munches on some grass, unconcerned. Jade tilts her head at Inuyasha.

"Do you not have Wapiti here?" He scoffs at her.

"Hell no!" She rubs her ears wincing.

"Yeesh, you've got a loud voice. And Soren ain't a **thing** , he's my **partner**. He lives and breathes, same as you or me. As for **what** he is, a Wapiti is an herbivore found in the northern most reaches of my world." She sits down and leans back, relaxed.

"They travel in groups ranging from 20 to 40, depending on how much food is available. Coincidently, they are also one of the few animals with innate magic; Borealis Charge, I think is what Masa-onee called it. She said that Wapiti can travel the length of the world in the time it takes for the sun to rise and set; something they developed to deal with predators. It can be lethal if an enemy is in their way when they use it or if a rider is thrown off- they just trample everything as they run." Jade tells him, watching the sky.

"Most people never see one- Wapiti can't really be contained or captured, so it's sort of pointless unless you go to them. But they are insanely loyal and smart! Masa-onee told me she saw one of the babies get attacked by an ice drake and the entire herd attacked it! One would draw its attention while the rest attacked the body from its blind spots-!" She tells him excitedly, gesturing to show him how they moved.

Inuyasha is taken aback, unused to such open and honest enthusiasm.

"You- you have an older sister? I thought you had only one." He asks, reluctantly curious.

Jade grins at him and falls back on the grass.

"Yup! I have two sisters actually; I'm the middle sister so I have an older **and** younger sister. It can get pretty crazy when the three of us are altogether. Masa-onee is older than me, we think, and Ryo is definitely younger than either of us. The three of us grew up together with Aquileon and Demetria, our foster parents."

"Huh? What do you mean you don't know if she's older than you?" Jade glances at him and smiles cheerfully.

"We don't know how old we are- Demetria guessed our ages. All of us are foundlings- orphans." She clarifies, seeing his confusion.

"There wasn't any clues- we were dumped into the wilds with nothing, heck we didn't even have names! We were all pretty feral, especially Masa-onee, she was seriously protective of us. I mean, she attacked Aquileon when we first met him and he's a **dragon**!"

"Eh?!" Shippo and Inuyasha stare at her, mutually confused.

"A dragon?!"

"Uh huh." Jade nods firmly, looking up at the sky.

"A **big** dragon- he's an Ice Dragon, so he's pretty massive. Masa didn't care and bite him on the ear- Aquileon was impressed by her lack of fear. Demetria thought it was funny that a toddler managed to even climb high enough to reach his ear. She's an Earth Dragon, but Demetria's pretty weird in that she can take human form."

"… You were raised by **DRAGONS?!** " Shippo squeaks, cowering behind Soren's head.

"Yup! They're awesome, even if Aquileon needs to lighten up." She sighs, remembering his seriousness.

"He could **not** take a joke; if Demetria wasn't there to lighten things up we would have driven each other crazy."

"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would dragons raise three human kids?!" Inuyasha snaps, trying to wrap his head around it.

Jade shrugs.

"Don't know **why** , and frankly I don't really care. Fact is, they did and if they hadn't we probably would have died out in the wilds." She yawns.

"Yikes, I'm falling asleep! Ugh, well, it'll take everyone else a while to catch up- might as well nap!" Jade yawns again, closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Inuyasha and Shippo stare at her, wondering if she is faking it. Shippo hops off of Soren and pulls out some ink, scurrying closer. She doesn't stir; Shippo glances at Inuyasha with a wicked glint in his eyes and carefully starts his masterpiece. Inuyasha snorts and looks away.

 _Hmph, if she falls asleep, it's her fault if she gets pranked!_

 **Later:**

Kagome stares at Jade's face and tries hard to be firm with Shippo.

"Shippo…!" He smiles in an innocent way, even though his fingers are covered with ink.

She gives up and glares at Inuyasha, who glares back.

"What?"

"Why didn't you stop Shippo, Inuyasha?" He snorts loudly.

"Why should I? It's her fault for napping in the first place!" He growls.

Kagome's eyes narrow.

"Inuyasha! S-!"

"-nee!" She stops, confused.

"Did you hear that?" Kagome asks, confused.

Shippo blinks and looks at her funny.

"Huh? What's wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango also give her looks of concern.

"J… nee!" She holds up her hand and turns her head frantically, trying to pinpoint the voice.

"There it was again!" Kagome whispers.

Soren lifts his head, ears perked and lets out a soft bugle of inquiry.

"Ja… nee!" The voice seems to float out from nowhere, the words fragmented but the tone is clearly irritated.

The group flinches and searches for the source. Inuyasha grips the hilt of Tetsusaiga, ears twitching.

"I wonder if it is an angry ghost?" Miroku wonders aloud as he pulls out sutras.

Shippo hides behind Kagome's legs, tail tucked between his legs. Kagome shudders at the thought of dealing with an angry ghost again.

"I hope not!" Kagome snaps, gripping her bow tightly.

The group is tense, save for Soren, Koga and Jade, waiting for the voice to speak again.

"Stu… d… nection! Ugh!" They all jump and stare at Jade.

The voice was coming from her- but she's asleep?! Soren trots over and starts to nose her urgently. Jade moans, but stubbornly stays in Dreamland.

"Le-s try… kay." A second voice? This one doesn't seem nearly as angry as the other one.

"Is Jade possessed?" Shippo whispers, frightened.

"Wa-! I heard…! Tha… it!" The first voice says excitedly.

Team Inuyasha backs away, growing more uneasy by the second.

"… **JADE-NEE!"** The first voice bellows, far louder and clearer than before, originating from Jade's pocket!

Soren frantically lips at Jade's pocket, but unable to access it, looks at Team Inuyasha with desperate eyes. Sango finally edges forward and reaches carefully into Jade's pocket, pulling out- broken glass? As soon as the sunlight hits it, magic flares and Sango instinctively drops it.

"Ah!" She jumps back and readies herself for battle.

The glass shimmers and projects a beam of light and in that light two people appear, both women. One is younger, about Sango's age with braided red hair, dark blue eyes and soot all over her face. The other is older with golden skin, thick black hair and green eyes. They stare at Team Inuyasha and the younger woman's face twists into annoyance.

"Who the hell are you?" She snaps, glaring at them.

"Ryo-chan, that's not how you ask people to introduce themselves," the older woman admonishes her.

'Ryo' ignores the other woman.

"Well? Are you going to answer or keep your mouths hanging open like a bunch of idiots?" She demands, eyes narrowing.

"We should be asking you that!" Inuyasha yells back, pissed off.

"Y-Yeah! We're not scared of you!" Shippo quavers, shaking like a leaf.

"I asked first! And I don't care if you're scared of me!" Ryo snaps back.

"Are you a demon?" Sango asks, fingers tightening on her boomerang bone.

"How did you appear like this?" Marvels Miroku, eyeing the two ladies with a familiar gleam.

"Would either of you beautiful ladies like to bear my child?" He is met with a flat glare from Ryo and amusement from her companion.

"Oh? So bold!" The older woman laughs.

Ryo ignores Miroku and looks at Sango.

"Why the hell are you asking me such a stupid question? I'm **human** thank you very much!"

Ryo's companion smiles.

"Ryo-chan is not a demon." She confirms.

"She is a wizard and fully human. Now, let's calm down, shall we..?" Soren bugles and steps into view bobbing his head.

Ryo's eyes immediately fix on him and widen.

"Holy shit, it's Soren!" He prances in place at his name.

"Oh my, it is!" The other woman gasps in surprise.

The redhead grins at the Wapiti.

"Soren! Where's my no-good troublesome older sister?" He snorts and turns slightly, pawing at Jade.

Ryo leans awkwardly to try to see and falls over, disappearing from view.

"Wah!" The other woman chuckles and extends a hand.

"You alright Ryo-chan? That was quite the tumble."

"Shut up, Yasmine!" Ryo growls as she pulls herself back into view, face beet red.

Inuyasha snickers and Ryo turns her temper on him.

"Is there something funny, Mister Cosplay Idiot?" She asks sweetly.

"Huh?! Who're you calling an idiot?!" He sputters loudly.

Ryo pointedly looks around and says cheerfully,

"The only idiot I see here is a certain male with fake dog ears and silver hair! And an atrocious liking for red!" She thinks for a moment then shakes her head.

"Actually… I'm sorry. You are **not** the only idiot here! You, the black haired pervert and Jade-nee all count as idiots."

Team Inuyasha sweats at Ryo's casual labeling Jade as an idiot. Yasmine puts a hand on Ryo's shoulder and inclines her head towards Jade.

"Perhaps we should wake her up before you cast judgement on her potential idiocy?" Ryo stops, then nods.

"Fine. The rest of you, cover your ears. You have been warned and I will not be held responsible for broken ear drums."

Yasmine takes the lead and firmly covers her ears and leans away from Ryo. They blink, confused, but follow her instructions. Well, mostly. Inuyasha refuses, convinced that Ryo was only bluffing. Her eyes narrow when she sees Inuyasha didn't listen then she shrugs.

 _Not my problem that he won't listen._ Ryo thinks before taking a deep breathe.

" **JADE-NEE! WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BEANSTALK!"** She bellows, using magic to amplify her voice to an intensity that makes Inuyasha collapse clutching his ears and whining.

Jade gasps and springs to her feat, half-asleep, instinctively activating her defense magics.

"Wha-?"

"Jade-nee! Over **here** , you idiot!" Jade turns and stumbles back when she sees Ryo's angry face.

"Ah… is this a dream?" Jade asks, scratching her head.

Ryo glares at her dourly. Jade sighs.

"Thought I'd ask, yeesh."

"What is that on your face, Jade-nee?" Jade cocks her head, confused.

"What is what on my face?"

"Those… Atrocious doodles." Ryo says reluctantly.

Yasmine is shaking with suppressed laughter and pulls out a small mirror.

"Here-! I can't wait to see her face~!" Yasmine chortles wickedly.

Jade leans closer frowning and tries to understand what she is seeing; someone had drawn a mustache, goatee, thick eyebrows and a tongue sticking out of her mouth.

"… You know, if it weren't for the fact that the ink smell is making me dizzy, I would be enjoying this." Jade remarks, looking at the doodles critically.

She straightens and shakes her head in mock despair.

"Aw, I got pranked and pranked good!"

"I don't care, Jade-nee, wipe it off; I can't take you seriously when you look like that." Jade shakes her head with a grin.

"No can do! Not unless you take a picture first!" Yasmine brightens and grins.

"Sure! Wait a moment!" She leaves the view and everyone can hear banging and slams as something is closed and opened.

Ryo gives Jade an incredulous look.

"Why on earth would you want a picture of your face like that?!" Jade shrugs.

"Cause it's funny? Besides, someone put a lot of effort into it- might as well have a photo to remember it by." She grins, unruffled.

Ryo face palms.

"Why can't you react like a normal person," She mutters.

Jade rolls her eyes skyward.

"Where's the fun in that? It's more fun being weird than normal! Besides…" Jade looks back at Team Inuyasha with a broad grin.

"It just means I'll have to prank them back! Hmm, now I've got to make plans…"

"I hate your logic, Jade-nee."

"That's nothing new," Jade dismisses, waving her hand as if to brush away the words.

Yasmine reappears with a camera.

"Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" Jade grins and waits until Yasmine checks to see how the picture turned out.

"You're good! Alright, why don't you put Ryo-chan out of her misery and wash your face?" Yasmine suggests, putting the camera away.

Jade looks around and grabs her water bottle from her bag. After splashing some on her face a few times, the ink smears but is mostly gone.

"Jade-nee. How the HELL did you end up in another world?! And for six months?!" Ryo finally explodes, done with waiting.

Jade gives her a wry look.

"Same way you did, sis. Wait, it's been six months? I could have sworn it was only six weeks!" Jade mutters, confused.

Ryo blinks and her eyes widen in absolute shock.

"Ley lines? You used a freaking **LEY LINE?!** " Jade leans back, rubbing her ears.

"Can you be any louder, I don't think everyone in Crocus could hear you." Ryo's face grows furious.

"After all the lectures you gave **me** , you went and did the **same. Damn. Thing?!** Hypocrite much?!" Jade glares back.

"I didn't do this intentionally! You think I enjoy being in another world with zero idea of how to get back?!"

Ryo opens her mouth, clearly ready to keep yelling when a tan hand firmly covers it. Yasmine meets everyone else's eyes and smiles wryly.

"Now, now. Let's not spew venom at each other; we were worried for you, Jade, because something happened recently and we wished to know if you were still alive or not. Ryo was panicked when she couldn't find any trace of you and so was I. We are both very happy that you're alive and well. That said, are you located near any ley lines at present? Ryo is going to open a doorway."

Jade crosses her arms in a scowl.

"I can't, even if I wanted to. The drowsing pendant Ryo gave me was shattered when I was fighting someone. And even before that it wasn't working for me; I spent two weeks trying to use the damn thing!" Yasmine winces as Ryo bites her hand.

"Ow! About that- ouch! Why must you always **bite**?"

"Cause she hates not being able to speak for herself." Jade says, quirking her mouth slightly.

"Duh. What were you saying?" Yasmine grimaces and tries not to yelp as Ryo sinks her teeth back into her hand.

"The drowsing pendant she gave you was- **ouch!** " Everyone can see blood dripping and Ryo's vengeful satisfaction.

Taking advantage of Yasmine's distraction, Ryo drags the hand away and finishes Yasmine's explanation without missing a beat.

"I gave you a dud."

Awkward silence falls.

"… Why?" Jade says carefully, trying to reign in her temper.

Ryo rolls her eyes.

"Because you have a habit of destroying everything I give you? First it was the wind chimes you **accidently** smashed, then it was the glass lanterns I spent weeks etching with arcane runes and don't get me started about that special order kaleidoscope!"

Jade winces and scratches her head.

"I already apologized for that-"

"So of course I wasn't going to give you another of my devices; why should I? You clearly don't take good care of them, unlike Masa-onee." Ryo interrupts, talking over Jade.

Jade narrows her eyes at Ryo.

"You've made your point. But how do you intend for me to find a ley line without a working drowsing tool?"

Ryo opens her mouth, pauses, then shuts it with a pensive expression. Yasmine glances at Ryo and sighs.

"We will try to locate one from this side; you need to not die. And don't give me that innocent expression, I can see that stab wound clearly. Take it easy until we contact you next-"

"Hang on, will this thing work again? And can you send anything through?" Jade demands, putting her own hands on her hips and staring down Yasmine.

"Yes, if it is small and relatively mundane. None of my devices would make it, by the way." Ryo answers, eyes narrowed in calculation.

"Why do you ask?"

"Send some healing potions through and books for basic magic control, curses and Dragon Slayer magic." Ryo's eyebrow lifts in surprise.

"… Books?" Jade blinks at her.

"Yeah, books. Why are you looking at me like that?" Ryo tries to keep her expression neutral.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps because you hate reading? And why do you need a book on basic magic control; Demetria taught you well enough." Jade jerks a thumb back at Kagome, who starts.

"She's got magic and so does the kid- you know what uncontrolled magic can do if they don't get at least the basics." Ryo tilts her head and studies first Shippo then Kagome.

She pulls out a pair of glasses and puts them on before taking another look at the two of them.

"… Illusion and Fire magic for the fox-boy; Holy and Healing magic for the girl in the mini-skirt. Fox-boy has decent magic reserves that could be increased with training. The girl… Ah. **Now** I see why you're concerned." Ryo looks at Jade and the sisters share a silent message.

"Why is there a need to be concerned?" Sango asks, stepping between Kagome and the Earthlanders.

"Her magic reserves are enormous. Normally, that would not be a problem, so long as the mage in question is trained to control their magic. But she is not and her magic is leaking freely from her." Ryo removes the glasses and she meets Kagome's eyes.

"If this continues, your magic will grow more erratic and dangerous to others. Magic has to be used and if the mage does not have the knowledge to do so safely, it will break free of what unconscious control you have. And **that** can be lethal for you and others near you." Ryo addresses Kagome directly, her words heavy with experience.

"However, once you have control, I think you will find it far easier to achieve the results you seek than hoping your powers will cooperate." Ryo's expression gentles a little as she tries to reassure Kagome.

Kagome tries to process what Ryo is telling her.

"You mean… I can heal and purify better if I learn control?" She asks tentatively.

Ryo nods sharply once.

"Without a doubt. Yasmine, gather the aforementioned items and a few focusing crystals." She orders as she reaches up and removes two hairpins.

Jade opens her mouth to say something but Ryo silences her with a vicious glare.

"Don't. I'll be fine. Yasmine is right here if something goes wrong. Now, can you draw one of my magic circles in front of you?" Jade gives her a worried look but nods slowly.

"Yeah, I can do that." Jade walks over to Shippo and holds out her hand.

"Can I have the ink, Shippo?" He hands it over and races over to watch as she painstakingly draws it on the ground.

Yasmine reappears and holds out a bag to Ryo; she grabs it, checks the contents and nods in satisfaction.

"I'm sending it through now, get back and for god's sake don't stand on the magic circle!" She snaps at Shippo, who jumps back with a guilty look.

Inuyasha growls, uneasy with the magic hocus pocus talk. Miroku and Kagome watch with open curiousity as Ryo closes her eyes and holds her hand over the sack.

" **Enchant: Portal of Many Ways!"** Ryo says in a clear voice, opening her eyes.

Multihued magic pulses from her hand and wraps around the sack, a magic circle matching the one on the ground appearing beneath the sack. Ryo releases the sack and it drops into the magic circle, disappearing from sight with a burst of light. The ink-drawn magic circle Jade drew glows with the same light and the sack pops into existence in the middle of it.

"Wah! It really showed up!" Shippo gasps.

"Eh? Wait, that wench actually did it?!" Inuyasha asks, shocked.

Jade looks at the projection of her sister and holds up the bag, indicating it arrived safely.

"Nice work, sis!" Ryo nods, her hands trembling as she replaces the hairpins.

"Good. I'm tired, so I probably won't do this again for a while. Try not to die, Jade-nee. All those idiots in Fairy Tail need you after what happened." Jade tilts her head and frowns.

"Wait, what happened-?" Ryo grimaces and shakes her head.

"I'll tell you next time. Goodbye, Jade-nee." She slashes her hand and the projection spell ends.

"… I hate how she dodges questions." Jade states before walking over to Koga and forcing his mouth open.

She pours a healing potion down his throat and watches closely as it fixes his bones. Nodding in satisfaction, she drinks the other one and groans as it visibly shrinks her injury to almost nothing.

"Damn, that feels much better. Well, let's get going to Gran's." She kicks Koga awake as she walks over to Soren and mounts up.

"Wha-!" He yelps, looking around wildly.

Inuyasha snorts at his antics.

"So pathetic- couldn't even heal without help!" Inuyasha goads him, crossing his arms.

Koga glares at him.

"Why you little-!"

"Hey." Both males flinch and slowly meet Jade's eyes.

"Shut up and move it- let's not waste daylight, idiots. You want to ride with me, Shippo?" The kitsune nods and climbs up, settling in front of Jade.

"Alright- to Gran's we go!" Jade yells before sending Soren into a gallop.

The rest race to keep up, but Koga parts ways, using the excuse that his Clan needs him.

 **Several days later…**

"Nope. Try again." Jade tells Inuyasha, dodging his slash and whacking at an opening with a wooden sword.

He growls at her and lifts Tetsusaiga with effort, unused to its' new weight.

"Gah, stay put already!"

"Nope. Do you honestly think your enemies will wait patiently for you to ready yourself? You're open again." She tells him, twirling behind him and slamming her sword across both of his knees.

He buckles, dropping onto the ground. Jade rests her sword at the base of his neck.

"Dead again. Come on, Fluffy Ears, is this all you've got?" She asks, offering a hand.

He ignores it and struggles back onto his feet, Tetsusaiga resting on the ground. Jade taps her shoulder with her sword and watches him.

"Let's take a break." His head snaps up and he glares at her.

"Hell no! Not until I beat you!" He growls, lifting Tetsusaiga again.

Jade tilts her head at him.

"You would die of exhaustion." She tells him frankly.

"Shut up!" He yells and charges her.

Jade shakes her head, pivots and lets his energy take him too far past her.

"You're letting your temper get the better of you again. _Think_ , don't just charge!" She snaps, bringing her sword down in a hard slash that would have sliced his back open if it were real.

He staggers but stays up and doggedly turns to face her again. Jade's expression is stern as she meets his glare.

"Do you know why I keep beating you?" She demands, bringing her sword to a rest position.

He blinks and scowls.

"You're stronger than me!" He says defensively.

Jade shakes her head.

"No, Inuyasha. I have been beating you because you lack control over your movements, strength, sword, temper and mind. You charge me? I just have to step out of the way. You swing at me? I could block it, but it's easier for me to move with the blow and counter before you can block properly. You get angry? I use your own temper against you. I have deliberately **not** been using my full strength, speed or magic for a reason. Care to guess what it is?"

He snarls, clearly fed up and tries to slash her in half. This time, Jade does block and leans into it, locking their blades together. His muscles strain as he tries to push Tetsusaiga forward but Jade matches him without breaking a sweat.

"I held back to show you all the power in the world means nothing if you don't **think**. An ordinary human can kill you the way you are now." She tells him, then suddenly kicks her leg forward and smashes his knee.

His leg buckles and she uses the weakness in his stance to throw him backwards. He lands hard but manages to get his sword up to block her downward strike.

"Better! Now, **think**! How can you turn this to your advantage?" She yells, launching another blow aimed for his head.

 _Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit! How can I beat her?!_ Inuyasha thinks frantically, stumbling to block the blows that are suddenly much faster and harder.

Jade gives him no breathing room, ruthlessly hammering blows down on him each time he tries to regain his feet. Finally, frantic, he kicks at her feet, remembering her doing it to him earlier. She jumps back to avoid it and Inuyasha uses the breather to stand back up. She pauses, considering him then nods once.

"We're done for the day. Go drink water and rest. We'll do strength training tomorrow at dawn." He blinks stupidly at her.

She turns and walks toward the village, wooden sword resting on one shoulder. He staggers, fatigue finally catching up to him. Jade pauses, waiting. Gritting his teeth, he sheathes Tetsusaiga and haltingly following her. When she sees he hadn't collapsed as he had on the first three days of training, Jade continues walking ahead of him.

Inuyasha makes his way to Kaede's and sits against the wall, too tired to move inside. One of the village children sees him and rushes to tell Kaede Inuyasha was sitting outside her hut again. She bustles over and gives him a dipper of water, mothering him a little bit. Eventually, he recovers enough to follow Kaede to where the others in his group are training.

Jade had proven to be an inventive teacher for Kagome and Shippo- rather than physical training, she made them first learn to channel their magic into the focusing crystals Ryo had sent them. It proved harder than expected until Jade had them both feel what it felt like when _she_ focused her magic into a crystal. Shippo was quicker to understand it and move onto the next exercise- focusing his magic into a ball with no flares. As Inuyasha and Kaede walk closer, they see Kagome racing over to meet them, excited.

"I did it! Jade-chan, Kaede, everyone! I did it!" Kagome yells, holding up a crystal glowing a soft pink.

Inuyasha nods, disgruntled that she was having an easier time than him. Miroku notices and pats him on the shoulder.

"Training still not going well, I take it?" He asks.

Inuyasha glares at him. Miroku sweats a little and removes the hand. Sango gives him a pitying look and continues maintenance of her boomerang bone; of the group, Jade had determined Sango was actually the best at teamwork and thinking on her feet. Jade walks over to Kagome and checks her work before grinning broadly at her.

"Nice work! Now for the fun stuff!" Jade beckons her over to Kaede.

"So, Gran and I have been talking about your next exercise- we think you should learn warding and barriers." Kagome blinks, startled.

"But I thought I was going to do the other exercise with Shippo!" Jade nods.

"And you will- but you've shown flashes of using barriers and warding magic. It's an invaluable skill and it will be far more useful for you right now. And in essence, it **is** a similar exercise to Shippo's- just a different shape!" Kagome nods hesitantly.

Jade nods to Kaede.

"Gran actually can make barriers and wards- so can Miroku, but he's a letch so let's not tempt him. Listen to her and work hard- this can save you and your friends' lives if you learn it. Then you get archery lessons with her afterwards, don't forget!" Jade gives her a smile of encouragement and walks over to Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha and Kirara.

"How goes it, Jade-san?" Miroku asks her.

Jade yawns and nods to Shippo.

"Shippo's control is way better than it was- he's ready for actual spells now. Kagome is getting there but she's hesitant- I think Ryo scared her a bit." Everyone sweats a little at that.

"Oi… Was the thing you were talking about real? How Kagome's magic could get out of control and hurt people?" Inuyasha asks, reluctant.

Jade looks at him and nods solemnly.

"It's real. Very real. Ryo has that problem, actually." They blink, staring at her.

"Eh?"

"She does?"

Jade nods, gaze growing distant.

"Yeah- you know how I said Kagome's magic reserves are huge? Ryo's are even bigger- frankly, if she hadn't entered a Familiar contract with Yasmine, she would have died by now along with anyone else near her." They stare at her, stunned.

"How does Yasmine-san help in that case?" Miroku asks slowly, possibilities running in his mind.

Jade crosses her arms and sighs.

"Yasmine isn't human- I don't actually know what she is, Ryo has never told me, but she's super old and powerful. For Ryo, her problem is she has too much magic that wants out all at the same time, making control a tenuous thing for her. Yasmine can't sustain her current form without huge amounts of energy, so she siphons off a significant portion of Ryo's magic and helps her focus it. What is left is controlled by the hairpins Ryo wears. Each one only lets a little bit of her magic out and makes it that much safer to manage."

She faces them and her expression is hard.

"I don't want to see that happen to Kagome or Shippo- that's why I'm pushing them to exhaustion. If they're exhausted, they can't accidently hurt someone with magic."

Inuyasha glares at her.

"Oi. Aren't you forgetting someone else getting worked to exhaustion?!" She blinks and grins at him.

"Hmm? Oh, I haven't forgotten you, Fluffy Ears!" Jade ruffles his hair and laughs as he dodges her.

"Oooh, you're faster when you don't want me touching your ears? In that case-!" Her expression becomes wicked.

"Each time I beat you, I get to touch your ears!"

Sango and Miroku try to stifle their laughter as Inuyasha defensively flattens his ears against his skull.

"Hell no!" Jade continues to grin at him.

"Hell yes! And if you manage to strike me, I'll talk to Kagome about not 'sitting' you half a day for each hit!" He opens his mouth, pauses, and actually processes her words.

 _So… if I lose, then she gets to touch my ears. But if I win, Kagome won't sit me for half a day? Ugh, I don't know…_

"We'll implement it tomorrow! See you then, Fluffy Ears!" Jade waves as she walks back to the village, humming.

"Oi! OI! I didn't say yes, dammit!" Inuyasha yells after her.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you because I am humming so loud!" Jade calls back to him, still walking away.

"Graah!" He explodes, pissed off.

Sango and Miroku wisely don't say anything.

…

Later that night, Inuyasha is still edgy and goes to patrol the forest when he smells a familiar scent.

 _Jade..? What is she doing out this late?_ He wonders then gives into his curiosity.

Jumping from tree to tree, Inuyasha follows Jade's trail until he comes to a small clearing deeper into the woods. He sees her standing there with a pile of wood and a reading a book, her brow furrowed as she tries to understand it. Carefully, he picks a tree downwind of her so she doesn't smell him accidently and settles in to watch her.

"Ugh, ok just try it, Jade! It's not like reading the book will help!" She growls to herself and puts the book away before holding one of her hands in front of her.

" **Earth Dragon's Sapphire Claws."**

Jade intones, focusing her magic on her hands. Then she grits her teeth and tries to tap into the power she felt before, when she melted the tree. Nothing. Annoyed, Jade glares at her hands.

"Oh, come on! You already did it, so just do it again!" She growls, flexing her fingers.

Inuyasha leans closer, confused, and a stray twig on his branch snaps like a gunshot. Jade's head whips around and she leaps forward. Inuyasha jumps to the next tree as her claws plow straight through it.

"Come on out, you little sneak!" Jade roars, her magic swelling with her anger.

Inuyasha feels his ears flatten against his head as he stays hidden in a tree. Jade snarls and doesn't notice when something starts to leak from her claws before charging for the tree Inuyasha is hiding in. He tries to jump again but luck fails him- the branch he was on cracks and sends him tumbling. Landing hard, Inuyasha rolls to his feet and dodges the tree before noticing a peculiar scent.

 _Why do I smell that bastard's poison here?!_ Inuyasha wonders, confused.

He couldn't smell his brother at all, but it didn't make sense; Sesshomaru was the only one with poison that smells like this! Jade growls as she stalks towards him, fortunately having not seen him yet. His eyes widen when he notices the silvery green liquid leaking from her claws melt the dirt.

 _What? What the hell?! She shouldn't be able to-! Why does it smell like his poison?! How?! Why?!_

Inuyasha is dumbfounded, unable to think or react past the questions in his mind. Unfortunately, that is when Jade finally spots him.

" **Found you,"** Jade says softly, jumping right in front of him.

He steps back, afraid and confused. She bares her teeth at him, green eyes almost glowing in the darkness.

"Jade-!" Inuyasha stammers, backing away with a grip on Tetsusaiga.

She blinks and some of the murderous feeling fades when she recognizes him.

"Fluffy Ears? What are you doing following me?"

"Never mind that-! Why do you have Sesshomaru's poison!" He yells, fright turning into anger.

Jade tilts her head, confused and looks down at her hands.

"… Huh." She says, examining them more closely.


	9. Of Dragons and a Fairy's Bonds

**Hello, hello, hello! So many people have been reading this!** _ **Runs around the room excitedly**_ **. Here is a thank you to those that have continued to read and review this fanfic- it really helps me keep going. I have decided that in canon we're before Inuyasha fights a certain Dragon, so there will be more canon plot.  
Now, without further ado, here is Chapter 9! Warning- there WILL be gore, swearing and violence in this chapter! I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail; I DO own my OCs and plot twists! Please comment and review but let's not flame please.**

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth_

"Why the hell do you have Sesshomaru's poison?!" Inuyasha yells at Jade.

She blinks and looks down at her hands, which are discharging a silver-green substance.

"Huh. So _now_ you come out." She berates her hands, annoyed.

"Oi!" Jade glances up and rolls her eyes.

"I got stabbed, remember? Use your brains!" Inuyasha flinches back at her acidic tone.

"But-!"

"Here's a big hint- I wasn't stabbed with that lightning sword of his. Draw your own conclusions." Jade snaps.

Inuyasha steps back, feeling more and more confused by the second.

 _Sesshomaru got her with his poison claws?! But- she's still_ alive _! How did she not melt?!_

"Why aren't you melted?!" He growls, ears flat against his skull.

Jade grimaces at him.

"The hell if I know- it's probably because of my magic." He stares at her, disbelieving.

Jade notices and glares.

"I don't get how it works, okay? If I did, I wouldn't be making whatever" Shakes her hands as emphasis.  
"This is! All I know is I got stabbed, I still have the poison inside of me, but it's not eating at my guts anymore and it hurts like a bitch basically all the time! But then I made this goopy stuff when I fought with Breezy Bitch and I'm desperately trying to figure out how to control it so I don't accidently hurt anyone! And none of the books I read helped worth crap! So thank you, Fluffy Ears, for pointing out the obvious. Thank you so very fucking much!"

Silence falls after her surprising outburst. They stare at each other and poison continues to drip from her claws onto the ground. Inuyasha's eyes flicker to her hands.

"You… don't know how to control it?" Jade starts to smack him on the head, rethinks it and settles for rolling her eyes.

"That's what I said, dingus!"

Inuyasha crosses his arms, glaring at her.

"… The poison smells like that bastard. It doesn't smell like your 'magic' stuff at all- more like yoki."

Jade stares at him blankly.

"What's yoki?"

Inuyasha gapes at her.

"You've been here for almost 2 months and don't know what yoki is?!" She shakes her head.

"Nope. No idea. Now spill!"

Inuyasha starts pacing, agitated.

"It's demon energy!" Jade taps her foot, waiting for more.

Inuyasha fails to expand on the subject, clearly thinking that is sufficient.

"… is that it? 'It's demon energy!' That's your explanation?"

"That's what it is!"

"But that tells me basically nothing!"

"It's not my fault you don't get it!"

"You say 'demon energy' but what the heck **is** it?!"

Inuyasha throws his hands up into the air, frustrated.

"It's demon energy! Only demons are supposed to have it!" Jade gives him a scathing look.

"So, what, is it like magic or life-force or what?"

"Graah! It's not **magic**! That only seems to be you and your wacko sister!"

" **Excuse me?"**

Inuyasha jumps away from her, a shiver running down his spine. Jade's eyes have a decidedly predatory gleam as she watches him flee to a 'safe' distance.

" **I must have misheard you- surely you weren't so rude to insult my sister. R-I-G-H-T?"** She drawls, not noticing the poison oozing faster from her fingers.

Inuyasha grabs Tetsusaiga's hilt, trembling.

 _She- she feels like him! Shit, she wants to kill me!_

" **Fluffy Ears…"** Jade coos menacingly, starting to pace towards him, the ground almost boiling from the poison.

"What?! You want to fight?!" He snaps at her, readying Tetsusaiga.

She leans forward and slowly smiles in a terrifyingly sweet manner.

" **No… I want you to apologize, Fluffy Ears~ apologize for calling Ryo 'wacko'."**

A looooooong pause as Inuyasha weighs his pride versus the clear threat of Jade's wrath.

"… Fine. She's not a wacko," He mutters nearly too softly to be heard.

Jade's demeanor changes and she relaxes, accepting his apology despite the reluctance it was said (not that it really was one, but she's not picky).

"Apology accepted." Inuyasha starts to protest but Jade shakes her head at him.

"You said what needed to be said. No point in griping about it."

She glance down at her hands and sighs when she sees how much poison is leaking.

"I _really_ need to figure this out."

Inuyasha leans against a tree and crosses his arms.

"What're you gonna do now?" He asks, reluctantly concerned.

Jade shakes her head.

"No damn idea." He blinks, surprised.

She notices and gives him a wry smile.

"I need to figure out my new- poison claws, I guess I'll call them. But since it's 'yoki' instead of magic I don't know where to start. It doesn't act like magic, doesn't feel like it, appears at random moments and is just plain confusing." Jade starts to lift her hand to scratch her head but stops when she feels the acidic liquid melt part of her shirt.

Inuyasha turns a little red. Jade rolls her eyes.

"Actually, clothes that don't melt would be nice. This was my last shirt." She carefully holds her hands away from her body to avoid melting her boots or pants.

"It doesn't hurt you?" Inuyasha asks, awkwardly noticing her skin seems fine from what he sees.

"Huh? Me? Nope. Melts almost everything else though." She says absently.

Inuyasha turns redder and coughs, doing his best to not stare. She notices and grins.

"Oh? Why are you so red in the face~?" Jade teases him, leaning forward slightly.

His face grows hotter as he gets a good look at her assets.

"S-Shut up!" He splutters, looking anywhere but her.

Her eyes crinkle in merriment and she laughs loudly, clutching her stomach. She fails to notice the poison stops seeping from her fingers, being too caught up laughing.

"Oh geez, Inuyasha, you're too goddamn cute sometimes!" Jade chokes out, still shaking.

"Ah-! But yeah, clothes. I have a feeling Miroku won't be able to keep his hands to himself- he reminds me of Loki."

"Loki?"

"Another womanizer, he's in Fairy Tail with me- Loki has a minimum of three girlfriends at any one time. Also could never keep from flirting with every female in sight." Jade sighs, nostalgic.

"… After you get clothes, what'll you do?" He asks again, still trying to not look at her.

"No idea. Maybe just wander around..? Definitely train, but I've got no clue after that." Jade shrugs, clearly not bothered by her lack of plans.

"… You could come with us." Inuyasha mutters.

Jade blinks.

"Eh?"

He scowls at her.

 _Is she mocking me?!_

"Wait, did you say I could go with you guys?" Jade asks, confused.

"Yeah, I did! So what?!" He growls, agitated.

Jade stares at him, uncomprehending.

"You… want me to travel with you?" She verifies, her voice very soft in the clearing.

"Feh! I shouldn't have bothered!" Inuyasha snaps, stung but trying to not show it. He turns to leave the clearing.

"Why?" Jade's voice stops him, not because of the question itself but the tone of it.

Confusion and wariness colors her voice and he sudden smells her scent change from surprised to a muddle of emotions.

"Why would you want me to go with you?" He turns his head to look at her and feels a jolt when he sees her expression.

Closed off, cold with small hints of uncertainty flickering in her eyes. It surprised him how much for a moment she looked like Sesshomaru.

 _Ack! Why does she look like that?! What- what do I do?! Ugh…!_

"Because you're strong!" Inuyasha snaps, unable to think of anything else to say.

"… That's it?" Jade's expression turns exasperated.

"Come on! What did you expect me to say?!" He yells at her.

"I had hoped it was more than my being 'strong'. It's disappointing, honestly." Jade replies, crossing her arms.

Inuyasha rolls his eyes.

"You're strong and I know you can fight. That's what matters!" Inuyasha glares at her, daring her to disprove him.

"… So you want me along because I can fight and I'm 'strong'? I guess coming from you, that's a compliment."

"Shut up! You're strong so you can help protect Kagome and the others better- that's all!" He bellows, turning a little red.

"… Okay." Jade sighs and relaxes, the earlier tension leaving her body language.

Inuyasha quirks an eyebrow.

"'Okay?'" He asks, confused.

"I guess you'll have a plus one to your group starting tomorrow." She tells him a small smile.

He blinks and nods shortly, unnerved by her change in attitude.

"F-fine. We'll be leaving at dawn so get some sleep," He mutters before heading back to Kaede's hut.

He stops when he notices Jade isn't following.

"Oi! Hurry up!" Jade rolls her eyes and grabs the book before leisurely strolling after him.

"Don't get your hakama in a bunch, Fluffy Ears." She tells him lazily.

He snorts and resumes his dash to Kaede's. Jade looks up at the sky and feels herself sober.

 _Traveling with a group again… I never saw this coming. I'll do better this time, Orora. Watch over us, okay?_

Jade sends off the brief prayer and makes her way back to the village, pondering the changes in her life.

 **Several days later…**

"So, where are we going again?" Jade asks, Soren placidly trotting after Inuyasha and Kirara.

"To see Totosai!" Shippo calls back from his position on Inuyasha's back.

"And who's that?"

"The swordsmith that created Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's father's fang," Miroku explains, eying Jade's cleavage.

"So we're going to see him about Tetsusaiga? Stop staring at my boobs, Miroku, I find you entertaining but I'll still bury your ass in the dirt." She tells him and ignores his fake sorrowful look.

"Yeah, maybe that old geezer will know how to lighten this thing!" Inuyasha growls- even after Jade's hellish training, he could only lift it part way and maintain that position for a few moments before needing to rest.

"Nah, you just need to train more," Jade says lazily.

"Besides, you're just doing this to get out of more training, aren't you? You're harsh on a gal's feelings, Fluffy Ears." She drawls, hiding a grin as his ears flatten at 'training'.

Sango and Miroku openly grin- they found it hilarious how Jade consistently beats up Inuyasha with a measly stick. Kagome frowns at Jade.

"Jade-chan, what are you talking about? If Tetsusaiga is lighter, then of course Inuyasha can fight better!" Kagome gives Jade a stink eye.

Jade bursts out laughing.

"Hey! Why are you laughing?!" Kagome snaps, her face growing warm.

"Sorry, sorry, but Kagome-chan… you **really** don't understand sword fighting." Jade gasps out, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Making the sword lighter isn't necessarily going to make Fluffy Ears a swordsman overnight. Heck, it can make him overconfident and get him killed." Jade points out, yawning.

"To be fair, he'll be able to wield it better, but only practice and training will make him a better fighter."

"Oh? What an interesting lass, to speak so of Tetsusaiga!" An unfamiliar voice calls out.

They all look up and see a flying three-eyed ox with an old man riding on it float down. Jade inhales and smells smoke, fire, iron, demon, ox, and that weird scent old men sometimes get. Jade cocks an eyebrow at him.

"What? It's true, unless the sword wields him rather than the other way around," Jade says cheerfully, leaning on the pommel of her saddle.

"And from what I've seen that's not the case. So tell me I'm wrong, Smoky Gramps." She challenges him with a grin.

"Smoky… Gramps?" Sango mutters to Miroku.

"Oi! Are you saying I'm weak?!" Inuyasha yells at Jade.

"Yup." Everyone sweats at her swift and brutal reply.

"You keep losing to me, so yup, you're weak. Points for trying though," Jade consoles him.

Totosai eyes this foreign girl riling up Inuyasha so easily.

 _She's keen in understanding- and she's stronger than Inuyasha? Hmm, scary._ He decides, reflexively checking for escape routes.

"Totosai-san, why are you here?" Kagome asks, ending the argument between Inuyasha and Jade.

He sighs and glares at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, your sword is no longer just your father's fang, but yours as well. The weight you feel is from your lack of mastery over your own strength."

 _Huh. That actually makes sense._ Jade thinks, watching Inuyasha's expressions- it's seriously entertaining to see.

"So… what does he have to do?" Jade asks, intrigued.

"Hmm?" Totosai blinks at her.

"What does he have to do?" She repeats herself patiently.

"… He will have to surpass his father." Totosai says finally, stroking his beard.

Kagome frowns.

"But… he's **dead**!"

"Um hum," Totosai agrees, still stroking his beard.

Jade settles in for a wait- these old geezers love to drag out drama. Shippo and Inuyasha predictably lose patience first.

"Tell us!" Shippo demands.

"Out with it, old man!" Inuyasha snarls.

Miroku, Sango and Jade look at each other; Jade shrugs and offers some jerky. Sango takes some and feeds Kirara as Totosai begins his explanation. Jade tunes him out for most of it until a certain word catches her attention.

"-dragon Daiyoukai, Ryukotsusei. Only then will Inuyasha surpass his father."

"Wait, did you say 'dragon'?" Jade interjects eagerly.

Totosai leans backwards, confused by her enthusiasm.

"Yes, I suppose I did-"

"Dragons exist here? They haven't died out? What are they like? Are they strong? Do you know of any called Aquileon or Demetria?"

The others watch in shock as Jade interrogates Totosai.

 _What's gotten into her?_ They all think.

"Come on, Smoky Gramps! Clue a gal in!" Jade insists, jumping off of Soren to move closer to Totosai.

Totosai eyes her with trepidation.

"Why would you like to know, tall lady?" He retorts.

Jade blinks and smacks herself on the forehead.

"Ack, I didn't introduce myself did I? Hiya, I'm Jade Aquilo and I'm looking for dragons because they might know what happened with my foster parents, who're also dragons."

Everyone, except Shippo and Inuyasha, react with shock and disbelief.

"Eh?!"

"Seriously?"

"What the-!"

"You're parents are **dragons!?** "

"No way!"

"But, lass, you're but human!" Myoga protests, peeking out at her.

Jade shrugs and looks curiously at the flea demon.

"Doesn't matter if you believe me or not, but that's my reason, Mister Flea. Are you gonna tell me now, Smoky Gramps?" She asks, meeting his gaze.

Totosai strokes his beard, considering her request and finally nods.

"Aye, there be dragons here. They are strong, there's no doubt of that. As for your foster parents… I've never heard a whisper of them, lass."

Jade slumps.

"Dang it…" She groans, ruffling her hair in agitation.

"Ugh, better luck next time, I guess!" Jade decides and then bows to Totosai.

"Thanks for answering my questions, Smoky Gramps!"

"You're a polite one," Totosai remarks, looking her over more closely.

Jade shrugs again.

"Kinda had it beaten into my brain when I little that if you want something it's better to be polite than rude in asking. Anyway, where's this dragon guy?"

"Sealed at the site where the Dog General fought him all those years ago," Totosai tells them, pointing.

"Slay him whilst he is sealed, Inuyasha, and you will master your own strength." Totosai reminds him, wagging his finger.

Inuyasha huffs in annoyance and stalks off in the direction Totosai pointed him in. The others mutter to each other, worried and excited at the same time. Jade watches Inuyasha thoughtfully then glances at Totosai.

"What happens if Ryukotsusei is released? Do you think Inuyasha can slay him?" She asks him softly.

Totosai jerks and Myoga squawks in fear.

"How can you say such a thing?! That seal is very powerful! It's unthinkable that it would fail!" Myoga lectures her, trembling.

"But seals have failed- they're not perfect. Heck, in Fiore we have a history of old seals busting at wrong moments, so I figured it was smart to ask if he can handle Ryukotsusei, in your informed opinions." She says nonchalantly.

Totosai eyes her beadily and sighs heavily.

"He would not survive. It would take a miracle for Inuyasha, as he is now, to kill Ryukotsusei if he wakens." Totosai tells her bluntly.

Kagome gasps in horror and the rest are similarly worried. Jade considers this and nods firmly.

"That settles it then," She murmurs to herself and starts after Inuyasha, taking her pack off of Soren.

"Lass?! What are ye doing?!" Myoga calls after her, frantic.

She pauses and looks back at them all.

"Going after him- I'll bring him back alive if it goes sideways,"

Totosai and Myoga give her bewildered stares.

"How? What can ye do against a dragon? Yer only mortal," Totosai points out.

Jade grins at him, showing off her fangs.

"Cause I'm a Dragon Slayer- my magic is **meant** for killing dragons!" She says cheerfully and strides after Inuyasha.

 **Several days later…**

"So that's him?" Inuyasha asks Myoga, staring up at the massive dragon demon pinned to the cliff with a large claw.

Jade whistles when she sees Ryukotsusei.

"Big bastard," She comments, internally cataloging the differences between this world's dragons and her own.

"Seems cowardly," Inuyasha mutters as he draws Tetsusaiga and he glares at her.

"Why're you still here?! I don't need a babysitter!"

Jade smiles at him and laughs.

"Cause I want to be and because **dragon**!" She waves her hand excitedly at Ryukotsusei.

"You're weird," He growls at her and Jade laughs again.

"Relax! I'm just watching your back, not stealing your kill, Fluffy Ears!"

"Will both of you focus!" Myoga squeaks, jumping up and down on Inuyasha's shoulder.

Inuyasha growls and hefts Tetsusaiga.

"Shaddup! I know!"

Jade ignores Inuyasha and Myoga's bickering and squints, staring at the top of Ryukotsusei's head.

"Oi. Isn't that Pervert Baboon?" Jade asks, pointing.

Both refocus and Inuyasha starts swearing when he sees the familiar baboon pelt.

Naraku smirks and starts eroding the seal on Ryukotsusei, the claw melting away. Jade's eyes narrow when she feels the dragon demon start to wake- his aura pulses and soon enough Ryukotsusei's eyes open and fix on the three figures below.

"Free at last…" He hisses, wrenching himself free of the sealing claw.

Myoga quivers with fear.

"R-Run, Inuyasha-sama!" He begs.

Inuyasha snorts and glares at the dragon.

"Hell no! Besides, it's better this way!" He snarls.

Jade rolls her eyes at his overblown pride.

 _Oh Fluffy Ears, you have no clue what we've got coming, do you?_ She sighs and gets ready for a grueling fight.

The dragon's lips curl in a cruel smile as he smells them.

"Ah, a whelp of that idiot Dog General… and what's this?" He peers closer at Jade, hissing.

She smiles cheerfully at him.

"Just your average wizard, don't mind me~!" Jade says, keeping one hand free as she gets ready to drag Inuyasha to safety.

Ryukotsusei abruptly charges and tries to eat them; Jade jumps clear easily and keeps an eye on Inuyasha as he starts to fight Ryukotsusei. While he manages a few solid strikes, Jade can easily see that they aren't doing enough damage to pierce Ryukotsusei's natural armor. After a few more whacks, Inuyasha gets fed up and tries the Windscar- Jade narrows her eyes. When the dust clears, Ryukotsusei starts to laugh.

"Fool! I am dragon! As if your puny sword will so much as scratch me!" He hisses and opens his mouth.

Jade's hair stands on end and she moves, dragging Inuyasha out of the line of fire as Ryukotsusei unleashes a Dragon's Roar. Critically, she notes it's not as powerful as Aquileon's or Demetria's but it's still a threat none the less. Inuyasha turns to snarl at her but Jade beats him to the punch.

"Save it. Fight first, yell later," She tells him and drops him on the ground, turning to face Ryukotsusei.

"I'll buy you some time- **don't** argue with me." Jade cuts him off as he opens his mouth.

"Tetsusaiga won't cut through- so I'll make cuts for you to cut into, got it?"

Not waiting for his response, Jade summons her magic.

" **Earth Dragon's Ruby Claws**. **"** Her arms turn blood red as the scales form and vicious talons manifest.

Ryukotsusei blinks, confused by what his instincts are telling him.

 _Why does she feel dangerous? She's human!_

Jade charges at Ryukotsusei, dodging his tail as it slashes at her and gets in close. He twists his body to crush her, but Jade anticipates him and doesn't bother to move.

"Hah! Die, human wench!" He snarls.

Jade smiles at him.

" **Earth Dragon's Dual Crushing Fangs!"**

As he slams into her, she uses the force of the blow to increase the impact of her own strikes- Ryukotsusei's eyes widen when he feels bones shatter and scales tear.

"What?!" He roars, rearing back.

Jade spins on one foot and mid-spin changes her right arm into a blood red sword.

" **Earth Dragon's Ruby Blade!"** She snarls, slashing at his flank.

Ryukotsusei howls as blood spurts from the wound and Myoga gapes at Jade.

"So-so easily she's injuring a foe even my lord could barely defeat?!" He sputters.

Inuyasha glares at her, annoyed but secretly awed by her fighting prowess.

 _I want to get as strong as her-!_

"Inuyasha! Move your ass!" Jade yells at him- Ryukotsusei was unleashing a barrage of Dragon Roars.

"Feh! I don't need you telling me!" He growls, stung.

" **Earth Dragon's Horn Strike!"**

She smashes her left fist into Ryukotsusei's (to her) vulnerable stomach, punching a hole into his guts. Jade continues to tear into Ryukotsusei, gritting her teeth when he manages to land blows against her.

 _Damn, he's a heavy bastard-!_ She thinks, fending off another tail slash.

"You ready, Inuyasha?!" Jade roars, muscles tensing.

"Feh! I've been ready for ages, witch!" He yells back, readying Tetsusaiga.

Ryukotsusei snarls and releases another Dragon's Roar; this time, Jade doesn't dodge.

" **Earth Dragon's Roar!"** She howls, her magic smashing into his and forcefully canceling it out.

"Go!" She yells to Inuyasha, who doesn't need to be told twice.

He leaps into the fray, trying to aim for the places Jade had already torn open. Ryukotsusei hisses and leaps into the air, avoiding Inuyasha.

"Enough!" He howls and smashes down on Inuyasha, pinning him to the ground and then through it.

Inuyasha falls into the crevasse and loses his grip on Tetsusaiga.

"Shit!" He yells, reaching for it.

Tetsusaiga spins out of reach and Inuyasha lands hard on the dirt. Ryukotsusei circles above him, blasting the crevasse with another Dragon's Roar. Jade swears and intercepts it.

" **Earth Dragon's Battle Scales!"** She grunts as the lightning hammers her, but she manages to keep the worst of it off of Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, you alright?" Jade groans, wincing as she stands up.

A low snarl answers her and Jade's hair stands on end. She carefully turns to see Inuyasha standing and his eyes blood red and purple markings on his cheeks.

"… Well shit." Jade sighs.

He snarls and charges her- Jade side steps and he tears on towards Ryukotsusei. The dragon is taken aback when Inuyasha manages to wound him with his claws. Above, Totosai looks on worriedly with Kagome and the rest of Team Inuyasha as Inuyasha gives in to his demon blood.

"In this state, Inuyasha can kill him- but Tetsusaiga will remain too heavy to wield." Totosai explains.

Kagome clasps her hands together, praying Inuyasha will come to his senses. Down below, Jade decides to redirect the enraged hanyo- she grabs him by the scruff of his neck and simultaneously fires off **Earth Dragon's Ramparts** to give Ryukotsusei something to attack.

His blood red eyes glare into her green ones and he tries to bite her- Jade makes a face.

"Stop being a little shit, Fluffy Ears, and get your act together!" She snaps, using her grip on his clothes to toss him at Tetsusaiga.

He falls directly in front of it and struggles to stand.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yells at him, hoping her voice reaches him.

 _That… voice… do I know it..? Inu… Yasha… that's me..! Who..?_

While Inuyasha is struggling, Jade faces off with the demon dragon who growls at her.

"What are you?" He hisses at her again, glaring balefully.

Jade gives him a lazy grin.

"Jade Aquilo, just your run of the mill Dragon Slayer," She tells him, baring her fangs at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you- that's Fluffy Ear's job!" Jade reassures him cheerfully.

Ryukotsusei's mind whirls with questions and the tiniest grain of fear.

 _These two could defeat me- me!_

"Die then, Dragon Slayer! You and Inu no Taisho's whelp can die at my fangs!" He bellows, lashing out at her with his tail.

She jumps over it and starts running up his body towards his back. Ryukotsusei snarls and snaps at her but Jade hammers him in the face with an upper cut. Inuyasha barely notices the battle behind him and Kagome yells at him once again.

"Hang in there, Inuyasha! Grab Tetsusaiga!" She calls out, heart in her throat.

Distantly, Inuyasha hears her.

 _Tetsu… saiga? What… grab it? Grab it. Grab Tetsusaiga!_ Through the red haze of his vision, Inuyasha spots the katana's hilt and reaches out, wrapping his fingers around it. His aura and the sword pulses as it subdues Inuyasha's demon blood, bringing him back to reason.

"Inuyasha-sama? Oh thank goodness Jade-sama came with you- hurry, use Tetsusaiga's greatest technique! Jade-sama is holding Ryukotsusei at bay, hurry, hurry!" Myoga squeaks frantically.

Inuyasha shakes his head to clear it and looks up in time to see Jade crash land in front of him. She glances up at him and grins wearily.

"Oh good, you grabbed it. I got him all hissy prissy for you, so don't waste my efforts!" Jade tells him and Inuyasha looks up to see what she is talking about; his jaw drops.

Inuyasha and the others all knew she was strong; Jade had proved it on more than one occasion rather forcefully. But the sight of Ryukotsusei with massive slashes, bloody puncture wounds, broken bones and flesh ripped off drove it home. Jade had paid for the damage she had wrought on Ryukotsusei with a broken arm, a sliced up back and several cracked ribs, but overall she was in better shape than him by a long shot.

Ryukotsusei roars and starts to summon his demonic energy, furious and determined to wipe Inuyasha and Jade from the face of the earth. Jade faces the impending doom calmly and knows it's make or break moment for Inuyasha.

 _Come on, Fluffy Ears, figure it out!_ She urges him silently.

Tetsusaiga pulses and Inuyasha hefts the blade, charging at Ryukotsusei's massive attack head on. Tetsusaiga seems to guide his swing as the blade unleashes a surge of power that counters and then overpowers the Dragon's Roar. Ryukotsusei's eyes widen in disbelief and fear as tornados manifest and finish the job Jade had started.

"How?! How could a measly half-breed defeat me-!?" He howls as the Backlash Wave rips his head to goopy pieces, ending the existence of Ryukotsusei.

Totosai nods in approval and Jade smiles tiredly at Inuyasha.

"Good job, Fluffy Ears. Say, are you any good at setting bones?" He gives her a bewildered stare.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Jade groans, staggering to her feet.

"Tough bastard- I was wondering how the hell I was supposed to keep him alive long enough for you to kill him **without** using my big moves, but it worked out!" She starts walking.

"Oi."

She carefully twists to look back at him- Inuyasha's ears are partially flattened and he refuses to meet her eyes.

"Thanks." He mumbles.

Jade smiles slowly at him.

"You're welcome, Fluffy Ears." He risks a glance and doesn't see any scorn or degrading smirk on her face.

Jade offers her good hand to him and nods her head towards the others.

"Come on- they're waiting for you too, dummy." Inuyasha growls at her and Jade chuckles as they make their way to the others.

 **Later that day…**

After Totosai left and all temporary medical aid rendered, they bunk down for the night. Jade shifts uncomfortably, forced to sleep on her stomach.

 _I hate getting my back sliced up…_ she complains in her head, trying to find a comfy position.

Absently, she watches the magic of Ryo's warding device pulse in time to a heartbeat.

"Jade-chan?" She lifts her head to see Kagome hadn't fallen asleep yet either.

"What's up, Kagome?" Jade says softly, mindful of their teammates slumber.

"… What's Fiore like?" Kagome whispers.

Jade considers the question and shrugs.

"It's a peninsula, so it's surrounded by water on three sides- it has mountains, beaches, thick forests and flatlands. Warm most of the year. The people are pretty welcoming and take things as they come- not much reason to hurry, you see. We use lacrimas to power most things with magic- the ambient magic in the air is really high so it's pretty easy."

As Jade talks, Kagome starts to picture this foreign land in her mind.

"We don't have demons- at least I don't think we do, but we do have a bunch of monsters to deal with regularly. We've got these nasty giant monkey ape things called Vulcans- they use a magic called 'Take Over' where they can possess someone. **So annoying**. There's more, but I can't remember them all. And then there's the Guilds; we've got Guilds for almost everything! Accountant guilds, Treasure Hunting guilds, wizard guilds…"

Jade's voice trails off as she remembers some of the crazier moments with her comrades in Fairy Tail.

"Sounds wonderful," Kagome whispers.

Jade snaps out of her reverie and smiles at the younger girl.

"It is." She says simply.

Suddenly they feel a spike in magic; Kagome is on edge but Jade grins when she recognizes the energy. Grunting, Jade pulls out the remains of the drowsing pendant and sets it on the ground. Once again a beam of light bursts forth- Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippo and Kirara yell or snarl at the sudden brightness. Ryo and Yasmine appear, Ryo frowning when she sees Jade in a makeshift cast and bandages.

"What the hell happened to you? You're a mess!" Ryo demands, pointing at her.

Jade grins widely.

"Fought a dragon~!" She tells Ryo cheerfully.

Ryo's face becomes annoyed.

"Stop screwing around, Jade-nee. What actually happened?"

Jade's smile doesn't shift.

"We fought a dragon!"

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?!" Ryo snaps, furious.

"I told you to not get into fucking trouble and you went a fought a goddamn **dragon?! Your arm is broken and you're covered in bandages!** " Ryo yells, slamming her hands down on her counter and glaring at Jade.

Jade loses her smile and tries to calm Ryo down.

"Ryo, I'm fine-"

"Fine! Fine?! You call this fine?! Like hell it's fine! You know what? I don't care anymore! See if I care that your freaking Guild is in shambles!" Ryo explodes and Yasmine swears softly.

"Shambles? Fairy Tail?" Jade questions, bewildered.

Ryo's eyes gleam dangerously.

"You remember the S-Class exams, Jade-nee? The ones you were supposed to help out with? Well, everyone there is was **wiped out** by that flying disaster Acnologia. Tenroujima is **gone** and so is most of Fairy Tail with it." Ryo says this viciously, getting a dark thrill out of the grim news.

Dead silence falls.

"… _**What?"**_

Everyone flinches at Jade's voice- she wasn't loud, just the opposite, but there is no mistaking the menace in her tone.

"You heard me!" Ryo snarls, trying not to feel terrified.

" _ **If this is a lie, Ryo, I will destroy your workshop and everything you made the last five years."**_ Jade's voice is silky as she delivers her threat, clearly meaning it.

"It's true, Jade." Yasmine interrupts, pulling out a newspaper.

"Look." Jade narrows her eyes as she reads the headlines and glares at Yasmine.

" _ **This is a mistake."**_

"It's not. We checked in on Fairy Tail after it happened- the core members, aside from yourself, are gone." Yasmine tells her, eyes sad.

Team Inuyasha tenses as they feel Jade's anger swell in the air like a living being.

"… _**Go."**_ Ryo flinches and Yasmine purses her lips.

"Jade-!" Ryo protests.

" _ **GO. I don't want to see you, much less TALK to you, right now."**_ Jade keeps her voice soft, but Ryo jerks back at the cold words.

Yasmine nods and ends the spell, throwing the campsite into shadows. Jade stands up and Inuyasha's ears go back when he sees poison starting to leak from her fingers.

" _ **I'll be back in the morning. Don't follow me if you value your lives."**_ Jade leaves and they all look at each other with wide eyes.

"What… What just happened?" Sango whispers, fingers clutching her boomerang bone.

"Nothing good, it seems." Miroku states, eyes staring after the Dragon Slayer.


	10. The Fairy's Tears

**Hey everybody! Sorry this took a while- the sad part was easy, but figuring out where to go from there was surprisingly hard. This chapter is DEFINTENTLY going to have swearing, heart-wrenching sad moments and gore, so if you don't like that you have been forewarned! I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail; I do own my OCs and plot twists.**

 **Now, cue the sad Fairy Tail theme (I listened to it a lot while writing this) and let's get started on Chapter 10!**

 _North of Magnolia, Country of Fiore, World: Earthland._

Yasmine turns to face her shell-shocked partner.

"Ryo, why did you tell Jade like that?" Yasmine's voice whips through the air, unforgiving.

Ryo opens her mouth and shuts it, shaking her head mutely.

"She had **no warning** \- none. There are ways to soften the blow, but did you use them? No. No, you did not." Yasmine shakes her head, disgusted.

"I-!" Ryo starts to squeak but Yasmine slashes her hand, silencing her.

"Ryo, your words are oft bitter and angry, but you had no right to delight in Jade's pain- don't shake your head at me, I felt it through our pact."

Ryo's face pales and she takes a step back. Yasmine smiles coldly at her.

"Even if I had not _felt_ it, that dark pleasure is one I recognize very well- it was one of my favorites, after all…" She lets her words trail off as she purrs the last bit.

Ryo flinches and nearly falls over in her haste to get away from Yasmine. Yasmine lets out a low chuckle as she starts to stalk Ryo.

"I didn't mean-!" Ryo denies, temper sparking.

Yasmine tilts her head.

"You didn't mean to- what? Hurt her? Confirm her worst nightmare?" Her voice is dangerously sweet as she questions the irate mage.

"She was already hurt! She was being reckless, despite what I told her! Of course I lost it!" Ryo snaps, finding her backbone.

Yasmine laughs outright at that.

"For that-? You- for that?" She gasps, wiping her eyes.

Ryo glares at her belligerently.

"Fine, I made a mess of it- happy?! Are you happy now, you freaking-!"

Yasmine puts one finger on her lips, silencing Ryo's next words.

"No. I am not happy, mageling. There is a bright side to this, however." Ryo tilts her head, annoyed by her games.

"What?"

Yasmine smiles cheerfully.

"Jade's in another world so I don't have to worry about her beating you to a pulp!" Ryo stiffens and then crumples.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" Ryo whispers, a trace of fear in her voice.

"… I do not know, mageling. Time will tell." Yasmine tells her finally, hugging her briefly and then walking away.

 _Country of Japan, World; Earth._

…

They're gone.

 _It can't be true!_

They're gone.

 _It just can't!_

 **They're gone.**

" _ **NO!"**_

Jade howls into the forest, trying to deny what she heard, what she saw. Pain throbs through her arm, her back, her ribs, as she walks deeper into the woods heedless of the direction. Acid burns the foliage and earth as Jade's emotions grow more and more out of control.

" _You remember the S-Class exams, Jade-nee? The ones you were supposed to help out with? Well, everyone there was_ _ **wiped out**_ _by that flying disaster Acnologia. Tenroujima is_ _ **gone**_ _and so is most of Fairy Tail with it."_

Jade covers her ears, trying to not hear Ryo's voice, a keening sound coming out of her mouth as she stumbles.

" _It's true, Jade."_ Her keening turns into snarls as she blindly melts the trees in her way, furious. But it wasn't enough to block out Yasmine's words. Not nearly enough.

" _We checked in on Fairy Tail after it happened- the core members, aside from yourself, are gone."_

"FUCK THAT!" Jade roars into the darkness.

"FUCK IT TO **HELL AND BACK!"**

Her fist meets rock and melts through it- in a frenzy she punches it again and again. It didn't satisfy the wrath and loathing inside of her, not by a long shot. She makes short work of it and moves on. Everything in her path she destroys and she glories in it, being able to hurt the world the way she was hurt. Demons hover around her, wary but drawn to the scent of her grief and rage.

Jade's head snaps around and her eyes glow green as she glares them down; most freeze and skitter away. Her lips curl back at the ones too foolhardy to stay. A short silence is broken by the demons' war cries as they charge. A rumbling snarl explodes from Jade's throat as she charges in turn, happy to attack them, to kill them.

The fight was short- too short for Jade's liking. The demon corpses melt as she roves on, seeking more demons to battle with. Many hours and many dead demons later, Jade rests against a tree and something drips onto her hand. Jade blinks and another drop falls, then another. Trembling, Jade touches her face with one hand and feels the tears streaming down her face.

"Shit…" She gasps, trying vainly to hold the waterworks back.

But the tears keep falling and Jade feels a sob building in her chest.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Jade slams her fist against the ground over and over, trying to distract herself.

It doesn't work.

How could it?

Fairy Tail was **gone.**

Her friends, her silly violent lively friends, are **gone.**

Jade opens her mouth and lets out a roar, full of the things she can't say and can't express.

Rage. Self-loathing. Despair. Grief.

After the roar fades away, Jade buries her head into her hands, heedless of the poison still dripping.

"Gramps, Erza, Mira, Gildarts, Natsu, Gray, Loki, Cana, Elfman, Laxus, Freed, Ever, Bixlow, Happy...! I'm sorry! I'm so goddamn sorry!" Jade whispers, crying.

The poison soaks into her hair and black curls start to change to silver where the poison touches it.

"I should have been there-! I should have been there-!" She hiccups, starting to rock back and forth.

"I'm sorry! If you can hear me, everyone, I'm sorry-!"

The pitter-patter of small feet interrupts her lament and Jade lifts her head with a snarl.

 _WHO..?!_

A small girl with a side-ponytail runs towards the Dragon Slayer, closely followed by a green toad thing holding a wacky staff.

"Run, Rin!" The green thing bellows, turning and sending a fireball the way they came.

A pained scream of several demons being roasted alive hurts Jade's ears and she stands, glaring at the little bastards. The little green demon hurries along after 'Rin' and both stop, staring at the Dragon Slayer in shock. Jade ignores them and scans the forest, scenting the air.

 _What the hell?! Why is there a small army of these little shits?!_

The vile stench of many demons, all disgusting and putrid, is coming from _behind_ the two intruders. Charred flesh and ash hangs in the air as she takes a deep breathe.

 _20… 30… 40… almost 50 of the little shitheads._

Jade advances towards the hoard of demons, cracking her fingers.

"Stay behind me." Her abrupt order catches Rin and her green companion off-guard.

"What?! How dare you order about a vassal of-!" The green creature protests, wildly swinging his staff towards her.

"Shut. It."The ice in her voice stops his tirade and he gulps, nervous.

Jade faces where the scent of the demons is thickest and waits; she doesn't have to wait long. Suddenly they burst out from hiding and launch themselves at the Dragon Slayer. Jade impales the first one, grabs another and starts swinging it as a bat. The first wave falls over as she smashes them back, but the demons behind them try to dart around her, aiming for the weaker opponents.

" **Earth Dragon's Obsidian Sword."**

Jade's uninjured arm transforms into a shiny black blade dripping with poison. She whirls and cuts apart the demons trying to sneak past her, teeth bared in a snarl. More than a few pause in their attacks, shocked- a lethal mistake Jade takes full advantage of. The body count rises but the demons press forward regardless.

 _Shitty little-!_ Jade bites back her howl of pain when one uses an ax on her broken arm. She cuts that one in half and lunges to kill one sneaking past her. Behind her, she can sense the little imp thing flinging fireballs at the ones evading her. Rin's cries of pain and fear, and the scent of her blood, breaks Jade's control. She snaps. Her frustration and sorrow crystallize to fuel her newfound purpose: **no one** hurts those Jade is protecting.

 _ENOUGH!_

Her lips draw back and she howls, the pressure from her bellow knocking back the marauders.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

The scales break free and pulverize the enemy. She quickly finishes off the demons knocked prone and focuses her magic to finish the remaining demons.

" **Earth Dragon's Roar."**

Her mouth opens and crystals explode forth, slicing the area before her to pieces. The few demons that escape the initial aftermath try to run- only to find they are melting. The crystals, normally a rich green, are transparent and hiss as they start to corrode everything around them. Anything that was touched by one melts and some crack open to release deadly gases. In short, everything dies.

Jade wearily surveys the destruction and sighs loudly before turning to examine the two companions.

 **Jaken's Point of View**

 _Wha- What is she?! Who is she?!_

Jaken thinks, panicked as the foreign woman turns to observe them. Her strange clothes are torn in revealing places, battered from hard use and covered in spattered gore. One arm is in a split while her ribs are bound with bandages, her shoulder tattoo visible. Her green eyes critically survey both of himself and Rin, assessing them. His fingers tighten on his staff and he tries not to tremble; a rather difficult task since she's as threatening as Sesshomaru-sama!

"Are you hurt?" The stranger's voice startles him but when he processes her words a frown puckers his forehead.

Rin steps forward and raises a hand.

"Rin is a little hurt, but Rin will be fine!" She cheerfully tells the stranger.

"Of course I'm fine, no thanks to you!" Jaken blusters; under different circumstances he would have basked in someone else asking after him.

But Jaken forces himself to stay on guard- he doesn't know this woman! She could be an enemy or a powerful monster waiting to devour them whole!

"But, Rin is wondering what Rin should call you onee-chan." She says, staring up at the rigid form of their surprising guardian.

"… Jade." She finally answers.

Rin smiles and bows slightly to her.

"Thank you Jade-onee-chan! Rin was really scared and so was Mister Jaken but you saved us from the nasty demons!"

Jade glances at Jaken then kneels.

"You said you're hurt, Rin was it? Can you show me?"

Rin bites her lip but nods, rolling up one sleeve to show nasty cuts. Jaken feels faint when he sees that.

"Rin! Oh no! Why didn't you tell me?!" Jaken wails, terrified, images of Sesshomaru-sama crushing him into a pulp.

"But Rin did-!" Rin protests but Jaken's wails drown her reply.

"Mi lord is going to be so angry! I've failed mi lord and he'll demand my head for allowing you to be hurt! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" He continue to blubber.

An unexpected kick to the face shuts him up.

"God, you're _loud_! Use your brain, idiot, there's still demons about!" Jade snaps.

Jaken drags himself off the ground, glaring at her.

"You dare-!"

"Shut. It."

He shuts up. Jade sighs and lifts her face to the air, like she is smelling it.

"Ok, here's what we're gonna do. First, bind Rin's wounds. Second, find shelter or make one. Three, wait for dawn and do further medical care. Got it?"

Rin nods.

"Okay!"

Jaken eyes Jade suspiciously.

 _What is she playing at?!_

Jade glances down at her fingers and sighs when she sees the poison still leaking.

"Shit. Okay, Jaken, in my back pocket there is a roll of bandages- pull it out."

"Why can't you do it?!" He demands querulously.

Jade glares at him.

"I can't grab it because it will _melt_ if I touch it right now. Just do it!"

He opens his mouth to argue, rethinks it, and grumbles as he awkwardly yanks out the roll of gauze. Jade nods in approval.

"Okay, now, wrap the wound- we want it to stop bleeding." She tells him.

Jaken grumbles louder but does as he was told. It's not the prettiest thing but does the job.

"Good. Alright, time to go." Jade stands and leads them towards a cliff she passed earlier.

Jaken and Rin trot after her and blink when she pauses by the rocks.

"Why are we stopping here?" Jaken whispers loudly.

Jade steps aside to let him see a large crack in the side of the cliff-face, then she starts to claw at the opening. The stone melts and she starts carving out an entrance wide enough for one of them to slip through.

"I can sense a larger space beyond this point- probably a natural cave. Watch out for snakes." She tells them as she works.

Rin nods. Jaken stares at her in shock.

"What are you?!" Jade glances at him but keeps working.

"A wizard." Jaken frantically tries to remember if he had ever heard of 'wizards' before and sags when he comes up with nothing.

Jade finishes up and meets both Rin's and Jaken's eyes.

"I'll scout it out- be on guard." She goes through the opening and vanishes.

Rin peers around her and Jaken growls at further orders from Jade. A minute passes and Jade emerges, several dead snakes draped over her splinted arm.

"It's safe."

Rin nods and goes in, excited to explore this new place. Jaken is more unwilling but follows after Rin.

"Amazing!" Rin gasps, staring about the cave.

Jaken gawks. The cave walls and ceiling are covered in glittering crystals: some smaller than a fingernail, others larger than Rin. Jade points above them and Jaken can see a crack in the ceiling, letting in the moonlight.

"If that weren't there, I wouldn't allow a fire in here. Caves can trap smoke and smoke suffocates you, given time." She tells them, arranging twigs and branches.

Rin crouches next to Jade and helps, soon getting a merry blaze going. Jade offers the dead snakes to Rin, who happily preps them as a late dinner. Jaken sniffs at such plebian fare, but gives in when Rin uses her sad eyes on him. Jade ignores their interactions, eyes steadily on the cave entrance.

"Jade-onee-san? Do you want dinner?" Rin asks her, offering a roasted snake.

"I ate earlier." Is the curt reply.

Rin nods, undeterred by Jade's response. Jaken, on the other hand, is livid.

"Why you-! How dare you speak to Rin that way! I'll roast you for that!" He screams at her, flailing his staff at her again.

Jade simply glares at him.

"Try it." Her voice is cold as she dares him to do his worst.

Jaken unconsciously steps back at the absolute lack of fear in her expression and the deadly air of violence growing around her by the moment.

"Jaken-sama! You're being very rude! Jade-onee helped us while Sesshomaru-sama is away!" Rin huffs, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Jade frowns slightly at the familiar name.

 _Where have I heard that before..?_

"But Rin-!" Jaken whines, trying to justify himself.

"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch." Jade orders, returning her attention to the cave entrance.

Jaken starts to protest, but Rin's grip on his sleeve and her trusting eyes convince him to give in. So, they settle down and pass out, leaving Jade awake with only the flames as company.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

Sesshomaru was not pleased to find Rin and Jaken gone from the camp he had chosen. A-Un was still there tied to a tree, but of his two wards there was no sign of them. He restrains a pensive sigh and smells the air for their combined scents. Their scents are strong and easy to track, so he felt little worry until he ran across the putrid aroma of a demon horde. Undisciplined and violent, they attack anything that is perceived as weak- and unfortunately, Rin and Jaken are in that category. Sesshomaru picks up the pace, eyes narrowing as he spots sites of conflict, marked by burnt patches.

They grew more and more frequent as he followed their trail and he actually starts to feel concern- then he smells a shockingly familiar scent.

 _Her._

The warrior named Jade. Abruptly he could not smell anything other than her; it was as if the land had been bathed in her scent! A break in the trees appears and through it he can see the aftermath of battle- clearly, Jaken and Rin had found Jade and she had protected them. Sesshomaru frowns as he surveys the scene. Something about it is- off.

His senses tingle as he walks slowly forward and his eyes widen when he realizes what the difference is. The last time he had seen Jade use an attack of this scale, the destruction was horrific, true. But trees had not been melted nor the ground smelling of dissolved demons. This was something new. Curious now, Sesshomaru extends his yoki to feel the area to confirm it was Jade who had done this and stills.

 _Not possible!_

But it was there- proof it was possible. **His** poison, **his yoki** , entangled with **her** magic.

 _ **How?!**_

Sesshomaru forces himself to stay calm, taking a slow measured breath as he critically analyzes what his nose is telling him. Yes, his yoki is present, but overshadowed by Jade's emotions and her own magic.

Anger. Pain. He can smell those clearly, mixed with other, darker, emotions he had not thought her capable of. Despair, strangely. It disturbs him, how strongly he can sense it. Loathing- for what? Or whom? Puzzled, he sets that aside.

 **Grief.** Sesshomaru flinches at the overwhelming, helpless grief Jade was feeling. Never one to allow his emotions to have this much of an effect on his mental state, the fact she was feeling these emotions so strongly and still be able to fight surprised him. Protectiveness and determination color the other emotions, leaving him very thoughtful.

But it was the scent of blood that made him see red; **Rin's blood**.

 _How could Jaken allow Rin to be injured!_ He thinks furiously as he quickens his pace once more. Soon, he comes upon a cliff, frowning as he looks at the crack.

 _Did she carve this open?_ He wonders, inhaling to be sure that his quarry are inside. Sesshomaru clearly smells Rin, Jaken and Jade further inside the cliff. Stoically, he enters, nearly making a face when he realizes he will have to crouch to get inside.

His eyes pick out strange illumination as he goes further and blinks when he witnesses the cave's features. The moonlight, faint though it is, glitters through hundreds of crystals, gently bathing the cave in silvery light. In the middle of the cave, remains of a fire smolders, Rin and Jaken curled up next to it. His tense muscles relax slightly when he sees both of his wards safe and sound. But he stiffens again when he feels something grip his throat tightly.

"I advise against causing trouble," Jade says coldly, fingers squeezing in warning.

Sesshomaru raises a sardonic brow at her.

"You have something of mine, Warrior Jade." She frowns then glances back over her shoulder at his wards.

Sesshomaru takes instant advantage of her inattention, breaking her grip and pinning her to the ground, his own claws around her throat. She snarls in pain when her back hits the ground and struggles to throw him off of her. He nearly is bucked off before he bare his own teeth at her and growls in warning.

"This Sesshomaru has little patience for your antics; you will tell this Sesshomaru how you possess this Sesshomaru's yoki!"He spat, temper fraying as she tries to punch him.

"Like I fucking know! I don't even know what yoki is!" She hisses, her good hand gripping his wrist as she tries to pry it off her throat.

He stares at her disbelievingly.

"Do not be absurd." He tells her flatly.

"Even a child knows what yoki is!"

Jade glares at him.

"Well, I don't, despite asking around!" She retorts viciously, clearly pissed off.

Sesshomaru draws in a breath to snarl at her again- and pauses. His eyes widen in disbelief.

 _She… is_ _ **not**_ _lying!_

"Get off me!" Jade growls, poison dripping onto his wrist from her fingers.

He releases her throat only to grab her good hand and stare at it, ignoring her attempts to tug free. Experimentally, he sniffs it, eyes narrowing.

 _This poison smells like mine, but some of this is hers as well…_

"Get. Off. Me!" Jade barks, lifting hard with her legs to throw him off.

Sesshomaru shifts his weight and braces his feet on either side of her hips to avoid a disgraceful fall. He gives her a baleful glare and licks some of her poison off his wrist. Jade blinks and starts to look panicked.

"Oi, oi, oi! Why did you-!"

"Be silent." He orders, taking another lick to verify the taste.

 _It_ _ **is**_ _mine, but there is another flavor here- it almost has a metallic taste…_

"Sir Floofy, its freaking common sense to not. Lick. Poison!" Jade grits out.

Sesshomaru smirks at her.

"This Sesshomaru will not die from poison produced from the likes of you. Especially," He leans closer, almost purring in her ear.

"When it was originally **my** poison, Warrior Jade."

Jade makes a face at him.

"Well, _excuse me_ for not knowing that!" She snaps.

Sesshomaru chuckles in a very arrogant and self-satisfied way. Jade narrows her eyes at him.

"Are we **done** with the interrogation?"

"No." He says, something akin to amusement in his eyes.

"You have not told this Sesshomaru how you possess this Sesshomaru's yoki and poison."

Jade rolls her eyes, trying to keep her temper under control.

"Maybe," Jade says through clenched teeth.

"Because you stabbed me in the stomach with your fancy poison claws? Or do you not remember?" Her tone becomes sarcastic and Sesshomaru looks at her thoughtfully.

"You believe this Sesshomaru's attack did this?"

Jade glares at him.

"Well, I sure couldn't purge your poison! I had to eat so many rocks just to keep your oh so superior nasty ass poison from eating me inside out! It was a fucking nightmare!"

His eyes narrow.

"You… ate rocks to defeat this Sesshomaru's poison?" He says in disbelief.

Jade tries to punch him but is foiled by his grasp on her wrist.

"Yeah, I did! So what?" She challenges him.

"Do not be ridiculous, humans cannot eat rocks!" He snaps back.

Jade smirks at him.

"Wanna bet? I can prove it here and now."

He glares at her, frustrated her scent is not colored with deceit. Abruptly, he stands and moves off of her.

"Humiliate yourself then, but this Sesshomaru will have the truth." He informs her as she pushes herself onto her feet.

Jade nonchalantly waves off his warning.

"Yeah, yeah. I just hope you can swallow your pride," She tells him before pulling off a small crystal.

"Nice example of quartz," She remarks, before offering it to Sesshomaru.

He raises an eyebrow at her.

"I'm letting you see I'm not tampering with it." Jade explains, still holding it out.

"Stop stalling, Warrior Jade." Sesshomaru commands.

Jade gives him a stink eye and then bites the crystal in half. She chews, swallows, and eats the rest of it easily. Then she opens her mouth to let him see she had actually swallowed it.

"Told ya," she tells him before noticing the poison stopped leaking from her fingers again.

"Ugh, why does you have to be so bloody unpredictable?" Jade growls, glaring at her fingers.

Sesshomaru ignores her side commentary as he processes what he has learned.

 _She can eat crystals… but that does not explain how she did not die from this Sesshomaru's poison._

"Why would eating crystals and rocks enhance your resistance to this Sesshomaru's poison?"

Jade blinks and gives him a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, because I'm an Earth Dragon Slayer?"

He gives her a 'What is that?' look. Funny how much he can say without actually saying anything. Jade's mouth quirks into a small smile.

"I'm a magic user- Dragon Slayer magic gives me aspects of a dragon to defeat one. In my case, my elemental affinity is earth, so if I eat gems or rocks I get a boost to my magic and healing. Doesn't seem like anyone in your world has magic, beyond your mikos and monks." Jade remarks, sighing.

Sesshomaru narrows his eyes.

"'Your world'?" He interjects silkily.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, **your** world. Honestly, did you seriously think I was from here?" She chides him, glaring.

"My clothes are weird, Soren isn't a native animal, I have unknown magic, I'm from a country that doesn't exist here and I don't know half the shit I need to know! So yeah, Sir Floofy, I'm from another world and I'm pissed off that I'm stuck here with no clear way back! But it gets even better! **My** guild, **my** comrades, are freaking **missing and might be DEAD!** _**AND I CAN'T HELP!**_ " Her voice grows louder and louder as she rants, all her pent up frustration breaking loose.

Sesshomaru is unsurprised by the ferocity of her emotions, but the revelation of Jade being from another world was shocking. And yet… It makes sense. Her overall strangeness and 'magic' is far more easily explained if she were in fact from another world.

"And _of course_ it had to be at the fucking S-Class exams! Of course it did! Fate is such a fucking bitch! And it had to be _that shithead_ of a dragon Acnologia! I **hate** his goddamn guts! I'll rip his intestines out, stuff them down his throat and watch him choke on it!" Jade doesn't seem to even notice he is there anymore as she continues to rant.

Sesshomaru feels his face twitch at the profanity of her language. Then he realizes Rin and Jaken are stirring and decides to take action. He blurs and clamps his hand across her mouth, glaring at her.

"Be _silent."_ He hisses, showing off his teeth.

Jade knocks his hand away and lashes out with a kick, eyes flashing as she focuses her ire squarely at Sesshomaru.

"Like _hell_ , Sir Floofy!" She snaps back, fingers cracking as she flexes them.

He blurs and slams her into a wall, crushing her throat.

" _Be silent._ This Sesshomaru will not have Jaken and Rin awaken to such profanity!" He snarls, getting right into her face.

Gritting her teeth, Jade sucker punches him the gut, ignoring her lack of air. His grip doesn't loosen so she tries a trick Yasmine once showed her and slams her stiff fingers into a pressure point on his shoulder. He hisses and Sesshomaru's grip goes slack, letting Jade free herself from his grasp.

" _Don't_ tell me what to do!" Her voice is low but filled with menace.

"I'm at my goddamn **limit** and you sure as hell don't have **any** right to dictate **anything** to me!"

Sesshomaru feels his own temper fraying at that.

 _She DARES defy HIM?! Unacceptable!_

His vision goes red…

 **Jade's Point of View**

She barely has time to block when he suddenly lashes out with his poison whip, wrapping it around her bad arm. Jade bites back a howl of pain as the poison burns through the bandages and splint. Stubbornly she yanks towards her, dragging Sesshomaru closer and stomp kicks one of his knees. He darts to the side but is hampered by her grip on the whip.

Jade hisses and roughly pulls it the opposite direction, stopping his movement for a precious moment. She plows into him, smashing her elbow into his ribs and winds up for a second strike when Sesshomaru gut punches her. Jade's face goes pale as she feels several ribs audibly **'snap'** and she stumbles back, trying to breath.

"Ugh..!" She wheezes, trying to not pass out.

Sesshomaru presses the advantage, this time yanking her to him and kicking her feet out from under her.

"Gah!" Jade tries to not land on her bad arm or back, but Sesshomaru wasn't having it.

He slams her into the ground hard and pins her down, his claws clenched around her throat. Jade feels the wound on her back split open and starts feeling dizzy from the blood loss. Desperate, she digs onto the pressure points on his wrist, squeezing hard but his grip doesn't falter.

"Ack… le…t… go!" Her voice is a thread of sound but Sesshomaru still hears it.

" _No."_ He snarls in her ear.

Jade tries to growl but when he unexpectedly shifts onto her ribs for better positioning, she finally blacks out.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

He blinks when he realizes she had passed out, the red haze in his vision fading away as he stares down at the frustrating woman. Sesshomaru contains a sigh and frowns, scenting fresh blood. With very little care he flips her over to see fresh bloodstains on the bandages. Nonplused, Sesshomaru stares down at it, uncomprehending.

 _She is injured?_

A frown crosses his face at the memory of how her arm was in a strange contraption- one he had melted through. Curious, he drags it out and examines the damaged limb; the poison burns he had expected, but the discoloration and odd shape indicates an older injury.

 _But no older than a week…_

His attention returns to the rest of her and he eyes the bandages on her ribs; clearly they are there for a reason. Sesshomaru unwraps them and his eyes narrow- her ribcage is strangely shaped and her skin is bruised black almost everywhere. Sesshomaru tries not to notice her top is even more revealing than it was previously, with curious holes in random spots. Everything is covered in blood. He sits back, stupefied. Sesshomaru is no expert healer, but he **does** know fighting when injured is a swift way to die.

 _Warrior Jade is no inexperienced pup; so why fight if she is injured, short of necessity? And whom had she fought that managed this?_

Sesshomaru settles down next to Jade, brooding and wondering why her being injured irritates him.

 **Jade's Point of View**

Throbbing, dull aches wake Jade as she tries to roll into a more comfortable position.

"Ugh..!" Her good hand goes to touch the painful spot- only there are a lot of painful spots.

Groaning, Jade opens her eyes and blearily tries to figure out why she feels even worse than before. She pokes at her broken arm and feels new welts- almost burns, all over and a lack of a splint.

 _Okay… arm is worse now… what about ribs?_

Gritting her teeth she tries to sit up and fails miserably. Jade glares at the ceiling, then carefully pokes her ribs with a finger; she almost blacks out again.

"Dammit…" She swears, feeling pissed that even _breathing_ is difficult now.

"Ok… arm, worse. Ribs, broken **and** bruised. Back..?" She catalogues aloud, trying to remember how she ended up like this.

"Bleeding." A curt voice replies and Jade's head spins as she frantically tries to pinpoint it.

Her eyes settle on a familiar stoic figure and her memory snaps into place.

"… **Sir Floofy**." She says icily, glaring him down as best as she can, lying prone on the floor.

He arches an aristocratic eyebrow at her, unimpressed.

"You will call this Sesshomaru by our proper name, Warrior Jade."

Jade snorts loudly then winces as the movement hurts her ribs.

"Nope," She says when she catches her breath.

His golden eyes narrow.

"And why not?" He demands, looming over her.

She rolls her eyes at his dramatics.

"Since you A, stabbed me and I got freaky-but-also-cool-poison claws I can't control reliably. B, broke my already cracked ribs and made all my injuries worse. And C, for just being an insufferable shithead on one of the worse days of my life. So, no, I'm not going to call you by name _Sir Floofy._ Not today, so _suck. It. Up!_ "

Her tone is reasonable but Sesshomaru can sense the anger and pain behind her words. He eyes her brooding face and finally gives in to curiosity.

"Why is today one of 'the worse days'?" Sesshomaru asks.

Jade stares at him.

"Were you not listening? Or do you have cotton for ears?!" She hisses in disbelief.

Sesshomaru stiffens, angry at the insinuation that he failed at something as simple as listening.

"I _said_ my **guild** , my **friends** , are **MISSING and probably DEAD**! And I wasn't fucking _there_ to help fight! I couldn't since I'm stuck _here!_ AND IT _SUCKS_ , YOU **HEARTLESS** ASSHAT!" Jade yells at him, struggling to sit up to attack him.

Sesshomaru pushes her firmly back onto the ground with his hand and glares at her in turn.

"This Sesshomaru is growing tired of your continued disrespect and thoughtlessness! Rin and Jaken sleep and yet you bellow and brawl like a barbarian!"

"Oh, **shut up**! I'm **grieving** you son of a bitch! Or have you never lost someone before?!" She snarls, breathing hard.

Sesshomaru stills and his expression becomes cold.

"It makes no difference if this Sesshomaru has lost someone- your behavior is reprehensible." He retorts.

Jade opens her mouth, then pauses, staring at his face. Her eyes widen as a revelation occurs to her.

"You _did_ lose someone."

She makes it a statement, not a question, maintaining eye contact. Sesshomaru conceals a flinch and his demeanor turns glacial.

"You dare presume-!"

"Oh stop. You're just like Masa-nee; burying your emotions under icy control, hoping they go away. Yeesh, it took _ages_ for her to loosen up!" Jade reminisces, ignoring the incredulous expression on Sesshomaru's face.

"You dare compare this Sesshomaru to a _human?_ " He hisses, flexing his claws.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"To Masa-nee, who's one of the most badass people I know but yeah, basically."

Sesshomaru struggles with the urge to slaughter her, for being compared to a **human wench** of all things.

"She couldn't talk about it."

Sesshomaru blinks, distracted from his bloodthirsty thoughts. Jade stares up at the ceiling, remembering.

"When we lost our foster parents, Masa-nee didn't say anything. But each day she would go out, hunting for their scents. She never found them, but she'd kill something for dinner. Without fail, every single day. Masa-nee couldn't tell me if she was fine or not, but," Jade turns her head to meet Sesshomaru's eyes.

"She still grieved, same as Ryo or me. I don't know if she _couldn't_ talk about it or _wouldn't_. But you remind me of how Masa-nee did what needed doing and kept her grief solely for herself. I never understood that, but I'm not a perfectionist or stoic." She shrugs awkwardly.

"…"

Sesshomaru stares at her, struggling to understand why she would reveal something clearly personal with him, the Killing Perfection. Unable to think of a reason, he does what any good tactician does- redirect.

"Who gave you these injuries," He changes the subject abruptly.

Jade grins.

"A demon dragon called Ryukotsusei! Nasty bugger, but he's dead now." She tells him cheerfully.

Sesshomaru stares at her in complete disbelief.

"… **What?"**

Jade blinks at him.

"Did I say something weird?"

"… **Whom did you fight?"** Sesshomaru asks aggressively, getting into her personal space.

Jade frowns at him.

"I told you- Ryukotsusei. He was a big dragon demon thing and we had to beat him for Fluffy Ears to make his sword lighter; I think it's called Tetsusaiga! Anyway, it was seriously dangerous but really fun- except when Ryukotsusei woke up and Fluffy Ears went rabid, but otherwise it was fun! I haven't gotten to fight a dragon in a _long_ time…" Her voice trails off as Jade notices Sesshomaru's icy expression.

"You okay?" She asks, worried.

"… You speak of Inuyasha."

Jade tilts her head at him.

"Inu-? Ah, Fluffy Ears. Yeah, what about him?" She says dismissively.

"You are aiding him?"

"Uh, I mean I'm traveling with him and Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Kirara and Miroku, so yes?"

"… I see. And where were your… _companions_ while you fought demons injured?" Sesshomaru's mouth twists in distaste.

"I told them to stay behind or they probably would die." Jade tells him honestly.

He cocks his head at her.

"Why?"

Jade huffs a sigh and her face grows moody.

"… I was raging and when I'm like that I'm way more likely to punch everyone, not just the enemy. None of them have what it takes to survive a fight with me, so I told them to stay put and I walked away."

"Hn."

"…"

"…"

"… Hey, can you do something for me?"

Sesshomaru quirks an eyebrow at Jade.

"Can you give me a couple more of those crystals? And rewrap my bandages? I'd rather not die from bleeding on a cave floor."

Sesshomaru considers her requests and finds them reasonable. While not the most befitting of tasks, he _had_ worsened her injuries, so Sesshomaru was willing to humor her. Decided, he stands up and pulls a few more of the crystals off the walls, eyeing them curiously before handing them to Jade. She immediately starts eating them at a frantic rate, her eyes closing in bliss. Sesshomaru waits until she had finished and lifts her to rewrap her ribs. Jade hisses and bites her lip, trying to stay quiet. He sits behind her and braces her with a propped up leg, carefully balancing Jade upright.

"Your back is still bleeding." Sesshomaru's voice rumbles into her ear.

"Eh? Wait, seriously? Ack, that's such a pain!" Jade grumbles irritably.

"Dang it, I was hoping eating crystals would help with that- no such luck, huh?" She sighs.

Sesshomaru doesn't answer, critically inspecting her wound.

… _Her bandages will not keep this from bleeding. Since that is the case…_

He licks the wound; Jade flails at the unexpected touch.

"Wah-!"

"Be silent. This Sesshomaru has a congealment in our saliva."

"Uh-! Y-yeah, great and all but ya know I'm not super used to tongues or anything like that, even for medical purposes and oh geez I'm babbling aren't I? Yup, nothing weird going on over here, just Sir Floofy licking my back… That sounded better in my head. Way better in my head. Are you done yet? Not that it doesn't feel good, but I'm getting weirded out… where do you get your clothes, by the way? They don't melt do they? Cause if they don't then I would really like to get some- most of my shirts are melted and I _hate_ kimonos 'cause they're super restrictive around the legs. I hate not being able to move the way I want to, don't you? Ack, where're you licking?!"

Sesshomaru idly listens as he seals the wound on her back with slow passes of his tongue, hiding his amusement at her confused discomfort.

"Hush." He orders, carefully inspecting his work.

Nodding in satisfaction, he reaches for the discarded bandages. Methodically, he winds the bandages around and around her ribs, ignoring her winces. Eventually he finishes, but doesn't move to lay Jade back down.

"Thanks, Sir Floofy," Jade breaks the silence, trying to not feel awkward.

 _Oooookay, when is he gonna lay me back down..? Not that this isn't nice but I don't know what to do now! Think Jade, think!_

"You should rest." Sesshomaru interrupts her thoughts.

She turns her head to glance at him, raising her eyebrows.

"That usually requires being horizontal…" She says hopefully, all too eager to get away from him.

Sesshomaru conceals a smile.

"But we would not want to damage your ribs further," He counters smoothly.

Jade frowns at him.

"Well sure, but I'm not gonna fall asleep sitting up," She argues, glaring at him.

"Do not worry- this Sesshomaru's mokomoko will make it comfortable for you."

Jade blinks and then looks at the mokomoko.

"That?" She asks, pointing.

Sesshomaru nods. Jade bites her lip, then sighs.

 _He HAD to tempt me with the floof…_ She grumbles in her head, disgusted with her weakness for all things fluffy.

"… Fine, you win." Jade grumbles, missing Sesshomaru's smirk of triumph.

The mokomoko moves and gently cushions Jade's back as Sesshomaru has her lean back against his chest. She yawns and drops off to sleep relatively quickly, snuggling into the mokomoko for warmth.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

 _She is relatively quick to trust…_ He muses, watching the Dragon Slayer sleep.

 _Still… Rin and Jaken are alive because of her. Besides, it was rather amusing how she reacted when I licked her wound closed. Do they not do that in her world?_

Sesshomaru wonders, picking up her injured arm and looking it over. After deciding it too could use a medicinal lick, he sets to his task.

 _Hn… For a human, she does not have an unappealing scent- save for the half-breed's stench. So presumptuous of him!_

When he finishes with Jade's arm, he lets it fall back onto the mokomoko. Sesshomaru grimaces at Inuyasha's scent and deliberately covers it with his own, knowing full well it would drive Inuyasha crazy that Jade has Sesshomaru's scent all over her. Done with scent-marking, Sesshomaru leans back, looking forward to dawn and a show.

 **Naraku's Point of View**

"Jade is a problem," He muses aloud, considering possibilities.

 _Her skills are primarily combat-oriented, but she has shown excellent teamwork and leadership skills- I cannot allow her to stay with Inuyasha and the others! It is time to see how my other incarnations deal with her…_

"Kanna. I have a task for you and your sister Kagura."


	11. Eavesdropping and Snakes

**Hey everyone! Yeesh, it's been a while but I just could not find the flow for this chapter but I finally did so here you go! Okay, so I don't own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, I do own my OCs and various plot twists! Whew, there, out of the way. Thank you so much for your reviews, especially first-timers! It made me really happy to see them! As always, please comment and review- let me know if there is something confusing. Now, without further ado, here is Chapter 11!**

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth._

Jade is dreaming of the fluffiest, cushiest clouds ever- she isn't a girly-girl, but Jade can admit to a long standing love for the soft and cuddly. Anyway, in her dream the clouds are a nice silver color that wrap around her back and support her comfortably.

 _So. Soft!_

Jade wiggles deeper into the fluff, loving the warmth as she turns over in her sleep. Only she cannot. Jade frowns, annoyed.

 _This is MY dream, dammit! I'm turning over!_

Letting out a low growl, Jade forcefully tries to flip over so she can enjoy the fluff in peace. Again, something stops her from completing her flip.

 _Okay, that's IT! Time to die, denier of good dreams!_

Jade lashes out, mostly on instinct, and nearly howls when horrible pain flashes up her arm. Her eyes snap open and she sees her **broken, poison burned** arm trapped. Trapped in a strangely familiar hand with long, well maintained claws. Jade blinks, trying to process what she is seeing. Her eyes follow the path of the arm, recognizing the purple tattoos and the sleeve of the kimono.

Jade twists her head and meets Sesshomaru's familiar glare.

 _Oh… crap._

"Uh… morning?" Jade tries, attempting to pretend she hadn't punched at him.

Sesshomaru's gold eyes narrow.

 _Double crap. Oh man, I'm gonna get it now-!_

"Sorry! Super sorry! I was dreaming about floofy clouds and they were so warm and soft and I just wanted to bury myself in them, but I couldn't flip over- and I _really_ wanted to flip over. So when I couldn't I just- reacted. It's a habit, ah ha ha ha… Stupid guild brawls!" Jade scratches her head, sweating as she tries to gauge his reaction.

… _Why does he have to have an awesome poker face?!_ Jade panics.

 **Sesshomaru's Point of View**

Warrior Jade is rather amusing to watch- she is clearly panicked and ashamed that she had attacked him in her sleep. Feeling superior, Sesshomaru keeps his expression blank as Jade flounders in her explanations.

 _She is rather entertaining, for a mortal._ He reflects, shifting his mokomoko so it wraps around the Dragon Slayer more snuggly.

"Wah! Agh, why does this have to be so _soft_ -!" Jade grumbles, stroking the fur with her uninjured hand.

Sesshomaru's mouth twitches with suppressed amusement.

"What time is it, anyway?" Jade mumbles.

"It is dawn." Sesshomaru murmurs in her ear.

Jade stiffens, swears and struggles to get up.

"Shit! Ack, I was supposed to get back by now! Let me up already! I gotta go!"

Sesshomaru feels a spark of irritation.

"Do you wish to return to the half-breed that badly?" He demands, unconsciously tightening his grip on her.

Jade stops struggling, twists her head to face him.

"Half-breed? What half-breed? And could you loosen your grip please? Gal with broken ribs here!" Jade snaps: her expression is a mix of pain and bewilderment as she glares at him.

Sesshomaru's mouth twitches into a small scowl but he does, slightly, loosen his grip.

"Inuyasha." He says icily.

Jade blinks.

"Inu- oh Fluffy Ears. Why would you care about Fluffy Ears? Unless…"

She takes a deep sniff, her nose scrunches as she thinks then her eyes widen with realization.

"Holy shit, Fluffy Ears is your brother?! Is that why you two smell so much alike? Dang, you two are super different from each other!"

Jade says excitedly, piecing it together aloud. Sesshomaru feels his temper rising with her every mention of his detested half-sibling.

"Why did you never teach him to fight?" Sesshomaru stiffens at the unexpected question.

"You're better than he is by a long shot, so why not teach him?" Jade pushes.

He drags a breath in, scenting her for deceit or anything that might indicate she is _mocking_ him.

Confusion, interest, curiosity and surprise but nothing manipulative or gleeful. Sesshomaru feels a spark of surprise at her lack of mockery or disgust over his connections with the filthy half-breed.

"… This Sesshomaru sees no point in teaching a filthy half-breed." He finally replies.

"Why not? And why do you keep calling Fluffy Ears 'half-breed'?" Sesshomaru closes his eyes as she persists in questioning him.

"This Sesshomaru is not obligated to answer any of your questions, Warrior Jade."

Jade glares at him then starts struggling again.

Sesshomaru tightens his grip, more carefully this time.

"Let me up." Jade orders, moving the mokomoko away from her shoulders.

"Why? So you can go back to the filthy half-breed who is unworthy of a warrior of your caliber?" His voice growls in her ear.

His eyes start to turn red at the thought of her being anywhere near Inuyasha.

 **Jade's Point of View**

Jade had had enough.

She slams her head back and elbows him viciously at the same time, surprising him. Sesshomaru's grip on her falters slightly and that's all she needs to surge to feet, broken ribs notwithstanding. The second her feet are under her she leaps to the opposite side of the cave, gritting her teeth at the pain.

Sesshomaru snarls at her, his hand covering his face. Jade doesn't feel the least bit sympathy when she sees the blood dripping onto his clothes.

"That get your attention? Good." Jade's eyes burn a brighter green as she matches his glare.

"I said I would travel with Inuyasha's group and I fucking. Keep. My. Word. You have no say in how I live my life! If you **ever** attempt to force a choice on me again, I will crush your balls and **break every bone** in your body! I am a mage of Fairy Tail and we don't fucking abandon comrades or family! **Period.** "

Sesshomaru stills, looking at her oddly.

Jade huffs and starts to walk towards the entrance.

"Thanks for the hospitality. Tell Rin to be careful and keep the wounds clean. Maybe we'll meet again sometime."

She had barely taken half a dozen steps before her ribs began to ache fiercely. Jade focuses on putting her feet in front of each other, one at a time. Each step, each _breath_ , increases her pain and Jade feels light-headed. Stubborn, she pushes herself towards the exit.

 _Come on, Jade. Get a move on!_ She urges herself and manages to take a few more steps.

Her vision blurs as the pain builds, blinding her. Stumbling, she leans against a cave wall, trying to breathe.

"Shit!" She wheezes, legs trembling.

Her senses pick up Sir Floofy moving closer to her, the scent of his bloody nose making it laughably easy. He stops a short distance away and she can tell he is staring at her.

"What?" She demands.

"You can hardly move."

"I know that!"

"You are weak. The demons will kill you easily."

"Oh, stuff it!" She snaps tiredly, head still spinning.

Her skin prickles as Sesshomaru continues to stare at her.

"Do you have a plan?" He asks coldly, almost sarcastically.

"… Not really." Jade admits, keeping her eyes closed.

Silence falls as both of them brood.

"… Hey, Sesshomaru?"

"Hn?"

She slumps against the wall and let's a self-deprecating smile show on her face.

"Would you help me get back to my traveling companions?"

"…"

Jade sighs.

"Please?"

"…"

The air shifts as he moves closer and Jade breathes in his scent, a surprisingly pleasant blend of dog, steel and something flowery. Though marred by the smell of blood, it's still appealing in a weird way. His arm goes around her waist and roughly supports her upright. Jade bites back several curse words but lets him help her.

 _Ugh, I hate feeling weak!_ She complains in her mind.

Sesshomaru helps her walk outside, the sky barely beginning to brighten in the distance. Jade sighs in relief when her vision clears and eyes the opening to the cave.

"Hang on, I'm gonna do something." Sesshomaru doesn't respond but lets her go.

Jade touches the cliff and pushes her magic into the stones; a faint green glow builds up around Jade. With a growl she gives the magic a simple task: _Hide this!_ The cliff groans and shifts, a boulder shoving its way to the surface and neatly hiding the opening. Jade sags and blinks when she feels claws on the back of her neck.

"… You know, I probably should have explained what I was gonna do," She remarks, glancing back at Sesshomaru.

His suspicious golden eyes bore into hers.

"What did you do, wench?" He purrs, claws digging in harder.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"Hide the entrance- that's it. And what did I tell you about calling me 'wench'?!" She hisses, incensed.

Sesshomaru glances away from her and frowns slightly; upon closer examination, he does spot a gap between the boulder and the opening.

 _They are not trapped…_

Sesshomaru stoically ignores his relief and once again wraps his arm around Jade's waist, summoning his cloud.

"Wah! Ack, wait a sec-! What the-!" She babbles, startled by their sudden ascent.

Sesshomaru ignores her as he backtracks Jade's scent.

 **Back with Team Inuyasha…**

"Where is she?!" Inuyasha yells, glaring into the forest.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome sighs, watching his furious pacing.

"I must admit, I am worried myself," Miroku remarks.

"Jade is still a young woman, all alone in the woods and she was injured rather badly by yesterday's fight. Any man might happen upon her and take advantage-!"

Smack!

Sango hits him with her boomerang bone, shutting him up.

"That's it! I'm going after her!" Inuyasha growls, moving for the edge of the clearing.

"But-! Inuyasha, Jade said we could **die** if we followed her!" Shippo reasons, shivering at the memory.

"Just give her space, Inuyasha! She just found out that all her friends back home are dead!" Kagome snaps, glaring him down.

"It's after dawn! I'm not waiting any longer!" He starts forward with a mulish expression.

"Sit!" **Bam!**

Inuyasha swears as he pushes himself up from the crater, glaring hatefully at Kagome.

"Knock it off with your 'sits', dammit!"

"No! You suck at listening!"

"You-!" Inuyasha stops mid-rant, sniffing the air.

His eyes widen.

"Shit! Sesshomaru is coming!"

Tension fills the camp as weapons are readied and Kirara transforms into her larger form. Kagome shudders when she feels the imposing Daiyoukai's yoki draw near and Inuyasha lets out a continuous growl. The trees sway as a ball of golden light descends from the sky and reverts to Sesshomaru- and Jade?!

"Ugh…" Jade groans, looking a little green.

"Your scent ends here. I do not smell your- companions." Sesshomaru states, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"I left them a way to stay hidden- good to know it works!" Jade carefully stretches, wincing a little.

"Your ribs bother you, Warrior Jade?"

"Yeah, they'll put up a fuss until they heal- don't worry about it too much." Jade waves off his concern with a small grin.

Sesshomaru glares at her. Jade notices and gives him a cocky smirk.

"You didn't hit me **that** hard, Sir Floofy- if they hadn't already been cracked by Ryukotsusei I doubt they'd be broken right now. Don't mistake me, it hurts like a **bitch** but I'm no princess who cries over a broken nail. So, I absolve you of any lingering guilt!"

"…"

"Oh, yeah, sorry again about nailing you in the face this morning." She says offhandedly.

Sesshomaru quirks his eyebrow at her.

"Do you always punch those holding you while you sleep?"

Jade thinks about it.

"Pretty much- I get attacked in my sleep a lot back home. It's nothing personal."

Inuyasha and the others gawk at this- almost _normal_ interaction between Sesshomaru and Jade.

"Is that really Sesshomaru?" Kagome whispers, stunned.

"What happened between them?" Sango wonders, noting the lack of a splint and messy bandages.

Miroku leers at the view Jade's heavily damaged clothing offers him.

"I must applaud Lord Sesshomaru- he works fast-!"

"Pervert!" Sango hisses, punching him.

"Why does Jade look worse than she did?" Shippo wonders, curious.

"Shh!" Kagome hushes them as Sesshomaru speaks again.

"Do not be so foolish in the future, Warrior Jade. This Sesshomaru will not tolerate a whelp's mistake from you."

"Whelp's mistake? What cha mean?" Jade asks, tilting her head.

He huffs a small sigh and pins her with a glare.

"Your reckless behavior last night. You hunted demons while injured and then fought with this Sesshomaru."

Jade gives him a droll look.

"Are you pissed because I wasn't smart and stayed at camp or because I challenged you?"

He stiffens, his expression going colder.

"You were being irrational- rather like a certain half-breed. Act in a way befitting of this Sesshomaru's equal in combat."

Jade raises her eyebrows.

"Ignoring the insult to Fluffy Ears, was that a round-about compliment?"

"It is the truth." Sesshomaru dodges the question.

Jade sighs and gives him a pitying look.

"Sorry Sesshomaru- but there's no way I won't be 'irrational' again." She raises her good hand, cutting him off.

"I'm human. We're irrational when it comes to things we care about. Sure, it can be a weakness but I consider it a _strength_ as well. Besides, if I wasn't having my 'irrational' moment, Rin-chan and Jaken probably wouldn't be alive right now. You can't have my being 'irrational' as a bad thing **and** a good thing. It just **is.** "

Sesshomaru glares at her but offers no rebukes. Jade grins at him.

"Don't worry too much: I _can_ promise to not go a major demon-killing-spree while badly injured. That work for you?"

"… Do as you please." He replies, turning to go.

"See? You're figuring it already!" Jade laughs.

Sesshomaru pauses and looks back at her with a strange expression.

"… If you ever tire of that incompetent half-breed's company, seek this Sesshomaru out."

Inuyasha bristles in outrage.

 _That-! How dare he-! Jade is HIS packmate!_

Jade blinks at Sesshomaru.

"… Thanks? I think? And ya know he would be less incompetent if you _help_ him learn." She points out reasonably.

"Why should this Sesshomaru waste time on the likes of Inuyasha? He is a fool."

"Oh, I don't know, _because he's your little brother?_ " Jade snaps, letting her irritation show.

Sesshomaru scoffs.

"That whelp is no brother of mine." Jade throws her hands up in the air.

"In your opinion maybe but the facts don't change, you dumbass! He's family, so fucking act like it! And you call **me** irrational!"

They glare at each other, unaware of their attentive audience.

"As if I'll ever accept that bastard's help!" Inuyasha snarls.

"Sesshomaru considers Jade equal to him?" Sango questions, watching the way they interact.

"They kind of act like Kagome and Inuyasha, without the 'sits'," Shippo comments, eating candy.

"Shh!" Kagomes hisses, eyes glued to this new development.

Jade suddenly sighs gustily, turns and walks away.

"Fine, you two want to be absolute dipshits? Be my guest, but in my book you're _both_ fools." She mutters loudly, pointedly ignoring him.

"You are bold… to turn your back on an enemy." Sesshomaru murmurs softly.

Jade waves her hand dismissively at him.

"Then do it," She challenges him, not bothering to look at him.

"Attack- or don't. Either way, this conversation is done."

Sesshomaru flexes his claws, takes a step forward- and Inuyasha charges into view from seemingly nowhere to attack him!

"Sesshomaru! DIE!" He screams, bringing the sword down.

Sesshomaru dodges easily, goes to slash Inuyasha's face open when Jade somehow gets between the two of them and knocks both of them back. She snarls at both of them, baring her fangs in a clear 'don't screw with me'. Sesshomaru stops, eyeing her and then Inuyasha as he struggles to his feet. When Inuyasha tries to lunge at Sesshomaru, Jade kicks Tetsusaiga out of his grip and grabs an ear, snarling right in his face.

"Knock. It. _Off._ "

She glances at Sesshomaru.

"Go." He raises an eyebrow at the command.

"Rin and Jaken need you. _Go!_ " Jade urges him, getting Inuyasha into a headlock.

Sesshomaru considers the situation and nods once, leaving swiftly. Jade sighs and pointedly glares around the clearing.

"Come on out, you lot! Time to go!"

Shippo deactivates the spell and everyone else appears, Kagome ready to blow a gasket.

"Inuyasha! What were you thinking?!" Kagome yells, marching right up to him.

He pouts then his nose wrinkles when he gets a good whiff of Jade's scent.

"Ugh-! Get away from me! You smell like **him!** " Inuyasha complains, wiggling free.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"What are you, twelve? We camped together after I killed all the demons I could find. Besides, what's it to you?" Jade demands, hand on her hip.

"That's-!"

"Jade-san, what happened to your splint?" Miroku interrupts, eyes worried as he examines the damage.

"It melted off," She says casually.

"Melted?" Shippo mutters in confusion.

Jade nods firmly.

"Melted. I'm hungry, Soren~!" She staggers over to Soren and rummages through the saddlebags for jerky.

"Uh, Jade-san… what happened exactly between you and Sesshomaru?" Sango asks her, resolved to ask since no one else did.

"Hmm..? We bickered, fought, he broke my ribs and my splint fell off then he helped patch me up. Did you know his saliva is a congealment? Oh and I got to touch the mokomoko! It was _so soft!_ "

Jade chatters as she yanks out the bag of jerky and takes a bite.

"A congealment? What is that?" Miroku inquires.

Jade pauses, thinking hard about how to explain it to the monk.

"It's something that helps blood clot- you know how when you get a scratch and the blood hardens to make a scab?"

Miroku nods, listening intently.

"Well, there's stuff out there that can help clot wounds so you don't bleed out- Sir Floofy's saliva happens to be one of them." Jade finishes, explaining between bites of jerky meat.

"But how do you know Sesshomaru's saliva is a con-geel-ment?" Shippo asks, sounding out the unfamiliar word slowly.

Jade opens her mouth and stops. Her face turns an interesting shade of red and she suddenly turns and hops into Soren's saddle.

"Oh man, we should really get going! So much to do, so much to do~!" Soren snorts at Jade's antics but trots into the woods at her insistent urging.

Shippo, Miroku and Sango watch her go, _certain_ now that something had happened between the Dragon Slayer and Daiyoukai.

 **Several days later…**

After making their way back to Kaede's village, Jade finally had her wounds looked at by the old priestess. After hmming and hawing, Kaede set her arm in a new split and rewrapped her ribs with orders to drink a healing tea each night. When Jade leaves Kaede's home to fish, Sango, Miroku and Shippo sit down with Kagome, Kaede and Inuyasha to gossip.

"Oh? So Sesshomaru has declared Jade an equal?" Kaede murmurs thoughtfully.

"Feh! That's nothing special!" Inuyasha grouses.

"But Sesshomaru doesn't like humans." Kagome points out worriedly.

"He seems to like _her_ though," Shippo mumbles.

Inuyasha snarls and the debate heats up. Kaede quietly sips her tea, mulling over Sesshomaru's potential actions.

"I'm back~!" Jade yells cheerfully.

Kaede sweats a little when none of the others realize Jade is about to walk in on them. Too busy arguing, Jade gets a good earful while standing there with her catch.

"No way in hell that bastard is getting Jade!"

"Inuyasha, it's her choice- and he is rather handsome," Miroku reminds him.

"Feh! Pretty looks don't mean shit since he's a self-absorbed asshole!" Inuyasha snaps back.

"Why are you so defensive about this, Inuyasha?" Sango wonders.

"It's because his mug is so ugly he's self-conscious!" Shippo cackles.

"Why you-!" Inuyasha goes to punch Shippo.

"Inuyasha! Sit!" **Bam!**

Inuyasha face plants into the floor with a crash.

"Nice to see everyone is having fun." Team Inuyasha freezes as Jade walks forward.

Kaede sighs and offers Jade a cup of tea.

"Ye caught anything?" Kaede asks her.

Jade nods but keep her eyes on Inuyasha.

"A few good sized trout." She hefts up her catch to show Kaede.

"Oh? Good, good, we'll sup well tonight." Kaede smiles, pleased.

As Kaede bustles around the cabin, Jade keeps her gaze very steady on Inuyasha. He starts to sweat at the intensity of her glare and fidgets. Finally he can't stand the silence any longer.

"What?!" He snarls.

"…" Jade sips her tea, her expression neutral.

"Why are you staring at me?!"

"… Oh I don't know. Maybe because what happened between Sir Floofy and I is private?" Jade says coldly.

Everyone flinches at that. Jade sets down her tea cup and looks at everyone.

"Gossip is one thing. But I choose **you** idiots as my companions and comrades. Not Sesshomaru. Don't fucking forget that, Fluffy Ears." Jade finishes her tea and stands, stalking out the door.

"… I think we might have annoyed her." Miroku murmurs as the Dragon Slayer leaves.

Everyone nods in agreement except Inuyasha, who's partially hiding behind Kagome.

 **A week later…**

"Let's go!" Jade hollers, standing impatiently next to Soren.

"How is she so energetic this early?!" Kagome groans, dragging on her giant yellow backpack.

"Perhaps Jade is happy she is no longer hindered by her injuries." Suggests Miroku, rubbing his chin.

Inuyasha huffs but can't deny Jade is even more eager to be on the road than he is- both of them had been itching to travel, but Kaede had put her foot down. So the week was spent training (absolute hell for Inuyasha/Shippo/Kagome), healing and quizzing Kagome (Jade knew a surprising amount about science).

As they prepared to leave Soren suddenly tosses his head and rears, nearly throwing Jade.

"Whoa!" Jade yelps hanging on for dear life.

"What the hell is wrong with that beast!?" Inuyasha yells at her, backing away from Soren's hooves.

Soren tosses his head again and paws at the ground, bellowing loudly, his eyes fixed on Kagome. Or more specifically, her feet. Distracted, Kagome winces at the sudden stinging sensation in her ankle.

"Ow!" She gasps.

Soren races forward and rears, slamming his front hooves down forcefully on a patch of grass near Kagome. Then he pauses and cocks his head, surveying the ground for… something. Dissatisfied, he shakes his head and paws at the ground again.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango demands, worried.

Kagome shows everyone her ankle- no blood, no injury, nothing.

"I'm fine, it just stings for some reason." She explains to the group.

"Be careful Kagome, there are some nasty snake demons out there." Sango tells her, helping her up.

"Jade-chan? Why was Soren- well, he was actually kind of scary! Do you know why-?" Kagome tells her, shivering a little.

Jade rubs the back of her head and grimaces.

"It's a protective habit he's got- Wapiti defend members of the herd so he must have sensed something off, otherwise he wouldn't have acted like that."

"He's done this before?" Shippo asks, eyeing Soren warily.

Jade nods, her face somber.

"Yeah, but last time… it was because there was a basilisk." She finishes, her expression oddly closed off.

After a beat of time she shakes off her mood and grins at them.

"Anyway, let's get going, shall we? Adventure awaits!"

"Yeah, let's get-!" Kagome freezes suddenly, unable to move.

The shards in her carrying jar pulse with a dark light, break free and stab her in the neck. Kagome collapses into a dead faint, everyone else calling her name frantically. Soren turns his head and glares in the direction he felt the not-beast-predator slither off to.

 **Elsewhere…**

"Hmph, pathetic for _her_ reincarnation," Tsubaki gloats, gleeful over her success. Naraku smiles, pleased by her work.

"My, you certainly do work swiftly," He marvels, appreciating her competency.

"Not without peril! My poor familiar nearly died when that _animal_ tried to trample him!" Tsubaki pouts, a hateful gleam in her eyes.

"I'll curse that _beast_ to death for that!" She rages.

"Now, now. Its' _rider_ is a far greater threat." Naraku reminds her.

Tsubaki scoffs.

" **Her?** Please, she has _no_ reiki or yoki to speak of- how can she be of any significance?" She demands with a glare.

Naraku restrains a sigh and keeps his urge to smite her in check.

 _Lousy, weak fool…_

"She has unknown abilities and has massacred demon hordes easily- if she is not dealt with, the one known as 'Jade' will disrupt our plans. I would hate to see our hard work go to waste, wouldn't you agree?"

His smile turns vicious as he stares at the dark priestess. Tsubaki huffs but nods, annoyed with him.

"Fine. How do you propose to deal with her then?" She questions him.

Naraku smiles, menace oozing from him.

"With a well-laid trap, of course, to offset the odds."


	12. Traps within Traps

**Hey everyone! As always, I do not own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, I DO own my OCs and plot twists. It's been a while, life has been crazy and I was struggling with this chapter: part of it was deciding what to include and what to omit. After a lot of consideration, I decided to stick to cannon to a point- there will be an interesting appearance this chapter!**

 **Read and enjoy!**

 _Country of Japan, World: Earth_

Panic.

Sickening, paralyzing panic and dread build in Jade's belly as she escorts the group back to Kaede's hut. The old priestess only has to look at them then takes charge. Jade is grateful- without Kaede's concise and clear orders she knows she would be going crazy.

Soren bumps his head against her shoulder, worried by her behavior. Jade absently pats him, eyes locked on Kaede and Kagome.

"The shards have become corrupted."

Kaede doesn't soften the blow, keeping it short and simple. Jade breathes through her nose as she tries to focus on her words.

"The lass has been cursed." Kaede explains further, gesturing to the glowing shards.

Jade focuses on that; curses, what do curses need to work? Something from their target, a connection like in Organic Link magic. A trail for the curse to follow back to the intended target. But what could be the connection?

Miroku clearly is thinking along the same lines, frowning.

"The Jewel was tainted even though it was in Lady Kagome's possession- perhaps the enemy used that as a medium for the spell?"

Jade cocks her head, considering it. Yes, that could partially explain it- the Jewel shards are pieces of a whole so the idea isn't ridiculous. But that still didn't explain how the curse affected only Kagome, rather than the entire group. She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly.

 _Control. Stay in control._

"Okay, here are my big questions: one, how did the curse target Kagome? The Jewel is a possible answer but I always thought that curses need something from the victim if the caster can't see them. Two, what is the purpose of the curse? Three, who cast it? Four, is it life-threatening?" Jade ticks off on her fingers, trying to keep the fear and wrath out of her voice.

Kaede purses her lips, considering Jade's words.

"The purpose I canna say, but the caster's identity I have an inkling of."

The group perks up at that and stare at Kaede impatiently.

"Her name tis Tsubaki- she was a promising priestess once before selling herself to demons for her vanity. Kikyo and she oft argued and came to blows over the Jewel." Kaede recalls, wringing a wet clothe and laying it on Kagome's forehead.

Jade's fingers flex and she feels her anger crystalize. A name, she had a name now.

"Well, where the hell is she?!" Inuyasha demands, standing up.

Kaede glares at him.

"I nary have a clue- she vanished after Kikyo defeated her."

A low snarl rumbles and the group glances at Inuyasha, only to see him staring at Jade with wide eyes. She starts to pace, almost vibrating with suppressed anger, her eyes locked on Kagome's prone body. Soren snorts and bumps her again, jarring her. The snarling stops and she forces herself to stop pacing, leaning against Soren's side.

"Hang on, didn't Kagome say she felt something bite her?" Shippo pipes up.

Kaede blinks and furrows her eyebrows.

"Bite her-?"

Kagome's eyes snap open and Jade huffs in relief. At least, until Kagome tries to purify Shippo. The group dissolves into a mess as they try to fend her off without killing her. Sango tries a knockout blow but is warded by a reiki shield, hitting herself with her own boomerang bone. Inuyasha hesitates, hand half raised.

Kagome (Is it Kagome? Jade is confused but rolls with it) blasts him with her holy powers, severely burning his chest. Jade dashes between them and summons her magic, knowing she can't go easy on Kagome.

" **Earth Dragon Battle Scales!"**

Kagome delivers another blast of reiki but Jade tanks it, wincing at the stinging sensation. Gritting her teeth, she grabs one of Kagome's arms and twists it behind her back. Jade barely starts to apply pressure when a highly concentrated bolt of reiki hits her in the face.

"Shit!" Jade howls, her eyes _burning_.

Kagome wrenches herself free of her weakened grip and slams another reiki blast into Jade's stomach. Blinded, Jade bends over and shakes her head, trying to clear her vision. She hears the scuffle continue and Inuyasha yelling Kagome's name.

"Soren! Sit on her!" Jade roars, head spinning.

Soren leaps into action, barreling the priestess over and then lays on top of her. Kagome retaliates with more reiki but Soren shakes it off, unaffected. Her limbs flail as Soren readjusts his weight, effectively pinning her down. Shippo peaks out from behind Kaede's hut, worried.

"Wh-what happened?" He squeaks.

Jade tries to open her eyes and winces.

"…I think that Tsubaki chick just used Kagome like a marionette."

They all look at her, clueless.

"A what?" Sango asks, sitting up.

"A marionette! You know, one of those puppet things that you can move around!" Jade tries to explain, miming with her hands a puppeteer's movements.

Comprehension dawns and Inuyasha goes ballistic.

"You're saying Kagome's a puppet?!"

Jade plugs one ear, leaning away from his yelling.

"Tis likely- Tsubaki is skilled enough to do such a thing." Kaede interrupts, her expression worried.

"Then it is settled- Sango, Kirara and I will go search for Tsubaki." Miroku decides then looks at Shippo, Inuyasha, Jade, Kaede and Soren.

"You four stay here."

Jade shakes her head, knowing Inuyasha was about to blow a gasket.

"Take Fluffy Ears with you- maybe his nose will smell something useful." She suggests, leaning against the hut wall.

Inuyasha blinks and glances away from her, mumbling under his breathe. Miroku frowns.

"But what if Lady Kagome-?"

"We'll handle it." Jade tells him flatly.

Sango shoulders her boomerang bone and a pensive look appears on her face.

"Are you sure you can handle her without Inuyasha?"

Jade nods and her eyes become sad as she meets Inuyasha's golden eyes.

"It's better if he's not here; you can't bring yourself to hurt her and that's what might have to happen, Fluffy Ears." She breaks the news to him gently.

His eyes widen and he opens his mouth to protest but Jade cuts him off.

"She's **not herself**. Sweet nothings won't help and right now she's a puppet. She won't know you, Shippo, Sango, me or anyone else. They pull her strings and she dances to their tune: unless you manage to stop Tsubaki."

Her green eyes lock with his, then Miroku's and Sango's.

"So go get her."

They nod and race off. Kaede clears her throat and Jade looks at her questioningly.

"Perhaps we should move the lass- a suppression barrier may keep her passive." Jade and Shippo look at each other, Shippo begging with his eyes.

Jade rolls her eyes and nods.

 _Meanwhile, inside Kagome's mind…_

"Where am I?" Kagome wonders as she stands in a blank void.

 _Okay, Kagome, you can do this, think back to the last thing you remember…_

She frowns as she struggles to recall. Flashes of faces flicker by, a brash voice saying something, the sensation of rubber under her fingers and the feeling of anticipation.

"Why can't I remember?!" She yells, furious.

The void starts to change to a familiar scene; her high school. She stands in front of the gates and the clock tells her she isn't late- yet.

"Kagome!"

She turns and sees Ayumi, Eri and Yuka running up to her.

"Everyone..?" Kagome whispers, confused.

 _This isn't right, I wasn't-!_

…

 _What am I thinking, of course I'm supposed to be at school! Silly me._

"Hurry up, Kagome, we need to get to class!" Eri yells at her as she rushes past.

"Okay!" Kagome laughs, racing to catch up.

Time passes- but Kagome can't help but feel there is something **off**. She sees faces that she somehow knows don't belong there, yet they **do.** It's driving her crazy! Desperate, Kagome heads towards a quieter part of the grounds, seeking privacy. A sudden rhythmic thump, thump, thump catches her attention. Curious, she peeks around a door and sees a beautiful upper-class woman shooting targets with a bow. The archer spots her and studies her.

"Why do you hesitate?"

Kagome jumps, the voice ringing in her mind- she _knows_ her, yet could swear she had never meet her before.

"Why do you hesitate?" The archer demands again.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about!"

"… Come here."

Kagome hesitates but walks over to her. The archer holds out her bow and Kagome takes it, unsure but somehow it feels familiar.

"Stand like this, shoulders back, eyes on the target." The archer instructs, pushing Kagome's body into position.

Once she is satisfied, she steps back.

"Fire." Kagome releases the arrow and misses the target.

"Again."

Kagome nocks an arrow and fires again. It strikes the edge of the target.

"Again."

Kagome grits her teeth and fires again. And again. And **again.**

"Who are you?" The archer questions as she shoots.

"I'm-!" Kagome huffs.

"Who _are_ you?" She demands, glaring at her.

Kagome growls and releases the arrow- it lands in the inner ring.

"Are you a lost little girl far from home or a warrior? Choose!"

Kagome flinches and a spark of memory comes to her.

"Kikyo."

Kikyo nods, eyeing her.

"I… am **not** you!" Kagome snaps, glaring at her.

Kikyo smirks at her.

"Are you not? You are my reincarnation after all."

Kagome's fingers tighten on the bow, knuckles turning white.

"I. Am. **Not.** You!" She yells, firing the arrow- it strikes near the bull's eye.

"Then who are you?" Kikyo demands, crossing her arms.

"I. Am. Kagome!" She yells and fires her last arrow.

Her reiki flares and the arrow hits the bull's eye. Kikyo nods, stepping back.

"Do not forget- you are **not** me." Kikyo reminds her before the school fades, leaving Kagome in the dark void once more.

 _I need to get out!_ Kagome thinks frantically, feeling the leadenness of her body.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?!" Kagome yells, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Her voice echoes in the darkness and unexpectedly there is an answer.

"I can- but I must wonder what you are doing in a place like this…"

The void brightens and a short figure appears: her wavy golden hair flows down to her feet, wings adorn her head and her pink and white dress flutters around her as she walks. Her green eyes look into Kagome's and she smiles reassuringly. She looks no older than thirteen as she approaches barefoot.

"Wh-who are you?!" Kagome asks in a panic- she hadn't actually expected anyone to respond!

The girl laughs and waves her hand- the space changes to that of an island with a massive tree standing sentinel over it. She perches on one of the roots and pats it in invitation to Kagome.

"You've already met one of my children, but I doubt she spoke of me. My name is Mavis Vermillion, the First Master of Fairy Tail."

"Eh?! But you're a child!"

Mavis freezes and a gloomy expression appears on her face.

"I'm actually one hundred and six years old…" She complains.

An awkward silence falls between them. With forced cheer, Mavis looks at Kagome.

"Why are you here? It's really not a good idea to linger between life and death."

Kagome blinks and then her expression becomes panicked.

"Eh? Eh?! EH?!"

Mavis watches Kagome flail around in horror. Taking pity on her, Mavis pokes her on the forehead.

"Calm down please."

Kagome squeaks in surprise but does stop flailing.

"But-but-but, how do I get out of here?!"

Mavis smiles brightly at her.

"You will have to find it."

Kagome stares at Mavis blankly; Mavis sighs, really, this girl is rather silly but since Jade had taken her under her wing that made Kagome basically a part of Fairy Tail. And Mavis does hate seeing members of her Guild suffer- _especially_ from curses.

"Your spirit is currently between the worlds of life and death because of a curse- however, your spirit is still connected to your body. Find that connection and you can return to your body and awareness. I will assist in keeping the curse from plunging you into more visions." Mavis explains to her.

"But- why would you do that? You don't even know me!" Kagome protests, flushing.

Mavis chuckles.

"But _you_ know Jade and she's rather taken with your group- it's been _so_ long since she adventured with anyone, I was rather hoping this would happen sooner. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers!"

Mavis pauses and examines the younger girl (Mavis refuses to consider Kagome older based on appearences) closely before making a decision.

"Actually, I think I will accompany you!" Mavis informs her, floating down next to her.

"Eh? What, why?!"

"Because I want to keep an eye on Jade." Mavis says simply.

She leaves out her natural interest in this parallel world Jade had landed in- no need to creep out Kagome just yet. Mavis looks up at her and feels her smile grow.

 _Such a kind child- I cannot wait to see how she grows up!_

"Shall we?" Mavis inquires, offering her hand to Kagome.

Kagome hesitates, but something about Mavis makes her think this isn't one of Naraku's cruel tricks. Her hand clasps Mavis' and a golden light envelopes them.

 _Meanwhile…_

Tsubaki narrows her eyes at her scrying mirror.

"Inuyasha, the monk and the slayer have begun the hunt." She reports, stroking her familiar's head.

Naraku raises his eyebrows at the news.

"And the one they call Jade?"

Tsubaki snorts derisively.

"She remains with the reincarnation- _apparently_ , she is well aware of Inuyasha's flaws and made him leave. She said something about 'we may have to hurt her to stop her and you can't do that,' honestly, it's revolting how the half-breed dotes on a fake like her."

Naraku's eyes narrow and he silently agrees, albeit for different reasons.

"How do you intend to lure her away?" Tsubaki's voice breaks through his musings and he smirks at her.

"By using Inuyasha and the others of course."

 _Kaede's village_

Jade was leaning against Soren's side when Kagome's eyes opened again. Immediately Jade summons her magic and quickly casts the same on Shippo, Kaede and Soren.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Armor!"**

Soren rustles his fur, the little crystals chiming together. Kaede's and Shippo's skin takes a shiny appearance while Shippo's fur also becomes like Soren's. Jade glares at Kagome, blinks then her eyes bulge when she sees someone who belongs on Tenroujima hovering next to Kagome.

 _Mavis-san?!_

"Lass?" Kaede ventures, breaking Jade out of her whirling thoughts.

Kagome smiles tiredly at them then reaches for her neck to pull at the tainted shards. Much to everyone's disappointment, they don't come out.

"Hmm, looks like you will have to find the caster after all, Kagome-san." Mavis muses, floating closer to examine the shards.

Jade makes a choking sound, staring at Mavis. Soren, Kaede and Shippo stare at her quizzically before looking at Kagome. Kaede narrows her eyes, wondering why there's a blur near Kagome's shoulder.

"M-Mavis?"

Kagome blinks and sees Jade's expression- conflicted, scared and above all _hopeful_. She glances at her ghostly companion and sees Mavis smile warmly at the Dragon Slayer.

"Hello again Jade."

"Mavis-san? Is that really you?" Jade whispers, tears starting to streak down her face.

Mavis nods reassuringly.

"Yes, it's me."

"Jade? Who're you talking to?" Shippo interrupts, glancing around the room.

Kaede's frown increases and she inches her hands toward a jar full of salt. Jade winces and scratches her head.

"Ahhh, how should I explain this…? Mavis-san is, well, for lack of a better word, a ghost associated with my Guild."

"A g-g-ghost?!" Shippo screams, running to hide behind Soren.

Kaede glares at the blur near Kagome and starts to throw salt at it.

"Evil spirit, be gone!"

Mavis squeaks and scrambles to hide behind Jade.

"Wah! I know I'm a ghostly entity but could we skip the barbaric purification attempts and focus on the situation at hand please!" She begs, failing to remember Kaede can't hear her.

Jade makes a face when the salt hits her instead before sighing, walking over to Kaede and taking the jar of salt away.

"Gran, I know you think Mavis-san is a bad person, but I won't let you purify her- she's like family to me!" Jade snaps, unconsciously unleashing the demon yoki within her.

Kaede, Kagome and Shippo flinch as waves of violent anger washes over them. Mavis blinks in curiosity at the change in Jade's magic signature, but tables it for the time being.

"We need to find the caster- I assume you have already sent a search party?" Mavis asks Jade.

Jade relaxes slightly and focuses on Mavis.

"Yeah, we have."

"Any word?" Mavis inquires, tapping her chin.

Jade shakes her head.

"Well then. Our next step is to find them, reunite and take down the enemy caster." Mavis decides.

Shippo and Kaede watch Jade's interaction with wide eyes, unsure of how to take this unsettling development. Jade whistles to Soren, who stands up.

"Kagome and Mavis, you're going to be on Soren. Gran, hold down the fort. Shippo, with me." Jade orders, boosting Kagome into the saddle.

Mavis floats up and settles right behind Kagome, eyes bright in anticipation. Shippo clambers up Jade's ragged clothes and grabs hold of her hair to hang on. Once she sees everyone is ready, Jade starts running, Soren at her heels.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Stupid bastards!" Inuyasha yells as yet another wave of demons erupts from Tsubaki's eye.

Miroku throws ofudas and Sango tears through the demons with her boomerang bone. Inuyasha snarls as he cuts down more of the obnoxious cannon fodder. His eyes track the snake near Tsubaki when he has a moment to breathe, trying to figure out a way to kill it.

They were tiring- as cowardly as her tactics are, Tsubaki's waves of demons were wearing on their stamina. The hell wasps were effectively keeping Miroku from using his Wind Tunnel, leaving the monk no choice but to use his staff and ofudas.

"My, you don't seem like much!" Tsubaki taunts them, her expression gleeful as she watches them struggle.

"You-!" Inuyasha roars, sweeping Tetsusaiga sideways in a broad circle and cutting demons in half.

Tsubaki laughs at him, petting her familiar.

"Hmm, seems like it's time to end this- so long, half-breed!"

She unleashes her tainted reiki as a curse against Team Inuyasha. Miroku throws up a barrier, deflecting the dark priestess' powers but pants with the effort. Tsubaki laughs mockingly at them and releases even more demons.

Sango lets out a war cry and throws her boomerang bone. She barely makes a dent in the hoard of demons circling around them. Inuyasha tightens his grip on Tetsusaiga and prepares to use his Wind Scar.

"All of you _hit the deck!"_ A familiar voice yells.

Inuyasha glances behind him and his eyes widen as he spots Jade running full speed towards them, Shippo clinging to her shoulder. He quickly drags Miroku and Sango to the ground, trusting Kirara to fend for herself. Tsubaki narrows her eyes at the sight of the pair.

 _I thought they were with the fake!_ Tsubaki thinks frantically.

"Shippo, hang on tight!" Jade warns him, flexing her fingers.

She takes a deep breath and slashes her arms.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

Stone scales detach and rip through the demons, leaving few survivors. They frantically try to regroup but the Dragon Slayer wasn't having it. Jade charges and her arms change into glittering black blades.

" **Earth Dragon's Twin Obsidian Blades!"**

She snarls as she dances between the demons, easily tearing them apart. Shippo yelps as blood splashes on his face but Jade doesn't have time to reassure him. Tsubaki had unleashed yet more demons, terrified.

Jade narrows her eyes and broadens her stance. She takes a deep inhale as the demons swarm closer.

" **Earth Dragon's Roar!"**

The force of the magic rips apart the enemy easily, destroying the ground and forest beyond as well. Tsubaki had taken a hit herself, shaking as she looks down at the crystal impaled in her leg. Inuyasha and the others stand back up, happy to see Jade in front of them rather than behind them. Tsubaki looks up, fear growing as she stares at them.

A sudden clip-clop sound catches their attention and Soren canters into view, taking care to not jostle his riders. Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha gape at Kagome, weakly clinging to the saddle horn.

"Kagome!"

Tsubaki looks up at Inuyasha's yell and suddenly snarls, unable to believe a _weak little girl_ had partially broken the curse upon her!

 _No matter, as long as I have both the Jewel and her blood, she is_ mine! The dark priestess thinks vengefully.

Jade narrows her eyes and starts to approach Tsubaki when her foot touches an invisible barrier. Her eyes widen when she feels strange magic activating and a portal appears beneath her feet.

"SHIT!" Jade yells, throwing Shippo clear and trying to blast the portal at the same time.

"Jade!" Sango and Kagome yell, terrified for the Dragon Slayer.

Shippo lands hard, yelping at the scraps and bruises. Team Inuyasha, Soren and Mavis watch in horror as Jade is swallowed by the magic portal despite her efforts. Tsubaki begins to laugh gleefully and holds up the tainted Shikon Jewel shard- Kagome winces and nearly falls out of the saddle from the sudden pain.

"Hmph, you really are nothing more than a **fake** after all!" Tsubaki taunts Kagome.

"Kikyo would never have been brought low so easily!"

"W-where… Where is Jade?" Kagome demands, sliding off of Soren.

Tsubaki laughs at her.

"Naraku determined her to be the greatest threat- so he's invited her to a **special event**. He seemed most **eager** to dispose of her." She says with relish.

The group's reactions are immediate as they decried her words, claiming Jade too strong for the bastard. Mavis remains silent, knowing little of this particular foe, but the cold feeling in her heart tells her all she needs to know.

 _Jade is in trouble._

Mind made up, Mavis knows their best course of action is to deal with Tsubaki then assist Jade. She glances down at Kagome, worried at how the curse is slowly eating away at her soul. Tsubaki sends her demons forward to pin down the group while her snake familiar slithers toward the younger miko. Soren bellows a warning as he crushes a few demons between him and Kagome.

"Kagome-san, watch out!" Mavis yells, pointing at the snake.

It lunges with a hiss and Kagome instinctively channels her reiki into her bow, blasting it back. Tsubaki's face morphs from triumph to horror as her familiar strikes her face- _exactly the same way Kikyo had done before_. Her scream as the snake familiar connects with her cursed eye chills the blood of all those watching. Kagome gasps in relief when she feels the shards fall out of her neck and the oppressive weight of the curse lift.

Tsubaki flees them, her hands clutching at her injured eye. Inuyasha swears when the demon hoard born of Tsubaki hinders his ability to pursue her. Sango and Miroku check in on Kagome, relieved that the curse had broken. Their joy is dimmed when Shippo yells at them.

"We need to help Jade, not chase an old hag!"

Mavis nods in agreement and floats down next to Kagome.

"Kagome-san, we must go now. I know you are exhausted, but I can **feel** Jade is in danger." She stresses.

Kagome groans but forces herself onto her feet, panting.

"Right! Okay, where would that slimy bastard take Jade?" She questions.

Miroku frowns as he thinks.

"A place where he feels he would have an advantage over her."

"He probably wouldn't do choose his castle- Jade could destroy it too easily." Sango considers.

"Augh!" Inuyasha yells in frustration.

"Where the hell did that blasted witch go?!"

Mavis frowns and walks over to the place the portal appeared.

"Hmm…" She tilts her head, confused by the magic she finds there.

 _Elsewhere…_

Jade freaks the hell out when the portal eats her. Okay, maybe it didn't actually **eat** her, but it certainly felt like she was being swallowed by something gross and disgusting.

As soon as it starts it stops, the portal spiting her back out into a new location. She blinks, disoriented.

"A cave?" She says incredulously.

A slithering sound catches her attention and she crouches, eyeing her new surroundings. Demons seem to explode from every crevice, swarming her. Jade bares her teeth and summons her magic.

" **Earth Dragon's Battle Scales."**

Her skin shifts to gleaming crystal and she starts smashing the demons, using one centipede specimen as a club. The demons crawl closer, heedless of the danger. Jade's eyes narrow, knowing that her bigger moves could kill her underground.

" **Earth Dragon's Granite Mace!"**

Her left hand changes into a granite ball the size of her head with savage spikes protruding from it. She starts swinging immediately, ripping through the demons with ease. But it wasn't enough. More were crawling out of cracks and replace the dead. Gritting her teeth, Jade quickly casts a succession of support spells on herself.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Stamina!"** A green aura flickers around her and the burning in her muscles fades to nothing.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Strength!"** New energy floods her body but she doesn't give in the childish urge to crush everything.

" **Earth Dragon's Boon: Armor!"** Her skin flares and becomes even more resilient to the blows raining down on her.

That done, Jade plows her way to a wall, determined to protect her back if nothing else. Demons surge forward at her seeming weakness. She turns suddenly and slams a hand on the ground.

" **Earth Dragon's Bloodstone Spires!"** She snarls.

The ground quakes and erupts as spears made of blood-red crystal explode out of the earth and impale demons by the droves with unnerving accuracy. The few survivors see the crystal spears are in a giant circle around Jade's position, nearly a hundred feet in any direction. She smiles grimly at the slaughter and flexes her right hand.

"Come out, come out~ Pervert Baboon!" She sings tauntingly.

"I know you're here, don't you want to come and join in the show?"

A menacing chuckle responds to her taunts.

"My, you **are** spirited."

Jade's ears twitch as she tries to pinpoint his location: smell is of little use, given the overpowering stench of dead demons in the air.

"Aw, so _nice_ of you to say~ but I think I would rather have you in tiny, **tiny** pieces!" She says sweetly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

"I think not. I've waited **far** too long to have my plans undone by **you** , darling Jade." His voice whispers, the words bouncing eerily off the walls.

Jade blinks and bursts out into laughter, howling with mirth. The remaining demons don't seem to want to approach the suddenly giddy Dragon Slayer. She eventually stops and grins evilly.

"Hate to break it to you, but that's kind of my **specialty** ~!"

Naraku glares at Jade from his hiding spot, annoyed by her clear amusement at his expense.

"I would like to chat- but I have other matters to attend to. Your _friends_ , for instance."

Jade goes still and let's a low growl enter her voice.

"Too bad. I'll just have to **ruin** your day!"

She suddenly explodes into motion, jumping from spear to spear as she rampages towards Naraku's voice. The demons try to stop her, but it hardly slowed her down.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

Jade transforms her arms to their base forms and the scales finish off the remaining demons. With them out of the way, Jade breaks out into an all-out rush only to pause as a _corpse_ rises from the ground and tries to tear her head off. Snarling, Jade runs up the side of the wall, cracking the rock as she deftly avoids the moving corpse.

She jams one of her hands into the wall, observing this new threat. All the demons she had killed at getting back up, save for the ones so torn apart they can't move. Jade shakes her head, tsking.

"Well, I'll be _damned_. He has a fucking **necromancer**." She swears, not without some grudging respect.

"Oh? I'm impressed you figured it out…" Naraku's voice taunts her.

Jade rolls her eyes.

"It's basic common sense. Dead bodies suddenly moving around? Probably a necromancer." She sums up, narrowing her eyes at the moving corpses.

 _I need to use something that will completely destroy them, not just crush them. Dragon Roar is out, I could bring the ceiling down on myself. Wing strike might work but it'll have to be more than once, likely. Ugh! This is a royal pain in the ass!_

…

 _I could really use that poison stuff right now. Oh well, I can just tear them apart until they can't move or attack the necromancer directly._

Feeling better about her plan, Jade scans the cave, in particular the crevices and niches in the walls. Movement in a far corner catches her eye, but she pretends she didn't see it as she takes a discreet sniff.

 _Demon, blood, earth, water, moss, mold, Baboon Pervert, fresh air… Breezy Bitch?!_

A low growl builds in her chest and a savage delight at finding the offensive bitch. Jade channels magic to her legs and jumps off the wall, flinging herself forward. Near the back Kagura manipulates her corpses to grab hold of the Dragon Slayer, fear drying out her mouth.

Jade smiles eagerly as the dead swarm her and she twists her body midair.

" **Earth Dragon's Wing Strike!"**

The flying scales form a vortex around Jade, keeping the dead from approaching and giving her the necessary blast to keep flying across the cave. Naraku hisses in annoyance at this development, but doesn't feel undue concern yet.

 _It is all part of his plan, after all._

Kagura cannot help but send Naraku a glance as Jade lands not forty feet from them. The Wind Sorceress is fraught with terror at facing the Dragon Slayer once again. And for once, she whole-heartedly hopes Naraku can successfully carry out his plan.

Jade grins at them.

"Found you~" She sings, before slamming her hand on the ground behind her.

" **Earth Dragon's Ramparts!"**

A wall of stone tears out of the floor, neatly separating the dead from the group. Kagura can't help but flinch; admittedly her corpses are not exactly **useful** against Jade but they provided a false sense of comfort. Naraku narrows his eyes, grudgingly impressed by her maneuver.

 _She minimized the effectiveness of Kagura's dancing dead and cut off an escape route- however, that can be used against_ her _as well._

Jade flexes her fingers as she prepares to rush them when a shift in the air happens: _right behind her._ Her head snaps around only to see a small girl all in white, holding a mirror. The girl expressionlessly moves the mirror to catch Jade's reflection and Jade feels something **tear** inside of her.

She collapses, clutching her head as she feels her magic and that blasted yoki churn out of control. Instinctively she lashes out with raw magic, blasting what could only be one of Naraku's incarnations. The mirror in her hands glows and absorbs it only to reflect it back. Jade braces herself and feels her body go flying while the tearing sensation inside of her grows **worse.**

Naraku smiles; Kanna had been more effective against Jade than he had expected. He was curious as to how Kanna had not managed to steal the entirety of her soul yet, but he anticipated it was only a matter of time. Jade staggers to her feet and braces herself on the wall as Kanna rips out more of her soul. Jade's control shatters and something within her _**snaps**_.

A bloodcurdling howl tears out of Jade's throat as the last of her human soul is stolen. Kagura feels chills run down her spine at the sound, stepping back and trying to rationalize to herself that she is safe now. Naraku laughs at Jade's agony, pleased beyond words with Kanna's work.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." He gloats.

Jade's body falls onto the floor, twitching uncontrollably. Kanna stares expressionlessly at Jade and then at her mirror. A small scratch, barely longer than a fingernail, adorns the surface of her otherwise unblemished mirror. Naraku turns to Kanna and smiles.

"Send her to attack her precious companions." He orders before vanishing.

Kanna nods and focuses on her mirror, ordering Jade's soul. Nothing happens. Kanna blinks and tries again.

Jade's body clambers to her feet, but doesn't move otherwise. Kagura glances at Kanna, concerned.

"What are you waiting for, Kanna!?" She hisses, stepping away from her older sister.

"… Her soul… is… resisting." Kanna states, a small frown on her face.

Kagura hisses again, fear driving her.

"Break her! She's only **human** after all!"

Kanna blinks at Kagura and _wills_ Jade to do her bidding.

She gets a response.

But not the one she was looking for.

A sudden increase in magic batters the demonesses' senses, startling them but not nearly as much as the **yoki** chaotically mixed in it. They stagger back as it builds, pressing down on them like an invisible weight. Jade's body starts to glow a silvery green and begins to _change._

Skin turns to scales, _true scales_ , unlike the ones they are used to seeing. Claws grow longer, sharper, _deadlier_. Horns suddenly erupt from her forehead, curling back into strong tines. Her hair goes from black to dark green with streaks of silver, lengthening down her back. She collapses onto all fours and begins to _grow_ , her skeleton shattering and reforming.

The smell of **dragon** grows stronger and the impossible blend of magic and yoki merely increases rather than decreasing. Jade sprouts a tail, her clothes shredding as wings burst out of her back, extending and flapping. Low snarls can be heard over the sickening sounds of her flesh and bones changing into this different, _new_ form. Kagura and Kanna retreat, wide-eyed.

The creature lifts its' head and stares at them with eyes of green rimmed with gold around slit pupils. Menacing, it takes a step forward, its' clawed foot easily large enough to crush them and bares its' fangs.

"W-What…" Kagura stammers, faltering.

The dragon roars, shaking the cave and instilling a sense of dread in Kagura. Kanna holds up her mirror and tries to control Jade. The dragon fixates on Kanna and charges with a scream.

It- no, _she_ , knows that the small white creature had taken something **precious** from her. The dragoness knows there is much missing and this small white creature is **responsible.** Her yoki and magic flare as she races towards them, synchronized in her need to kill her enemy and to _take back what is hers_. Kanna teleports, taking Kagura with her and thwarts the dragon. The dragon that was Jade bellows her wrath at being thwarted and tears the caves apart, searching for the elusive demonesses. Angered at the loss of her prey, the dragoness turns and retreats into the earth, bidding her time.

The hunt had only just begun.

 **And that is a wrap! Ugh, took forever but I feel like it worked out in the end. Please review and let me know what you think! Until next time!**


	13. Missing

**Alright- first off I do NOT own Inuyasha or Fairy Tail, I only own my OCs and plot twists.**

 **But first,** _ **thank you my readers**_ **for continuing to read this story: I haven't given up on it, but I have other stories to update as well. So there will be lag between the chapters (hopefully less than four months next time T.T). Ugh, unlucky chapter thirteen.**

 **Now, a couple things to establish: there will be gore/swearing/fighting. Next, expect divergence from the main plot! I know it's scary, but my logic is if there is someone from Fairy Tail around, then why would ANYTHING go to plan? Now, on with the show!**

 _Country: Japan, World: Earth_

"No luck, huh?" Sango sighs.

Miroku shakes his head, his expression grave.

"No one has seen a tall black-haired woman with tattoos in the area."

Inuyasha growls in annoyance, crossing his arms.

"Where the hell did that witch go?! It's not like she'd fall to Naraku or something!"

The group collectively stares at Inuyasha in mute surprise. He notices everyone's stares and his ears flatten defensively.

"What?!"

Shippo grins wickedly, seizing his opportunity to tease the hanyo.

"Wow that was like you professing undying admiration and friendship for Jade! Looks like you **can** look pass your own swollen ego!" He taunts before scampering on top of Soren, out of reach.

Inuyasha huffs in vexation and endeavors to ignore him.

 _Stupid Shippo!_

The others exchange knowing glances; Inuyasha, at some point, had accepted Jade as a friend. Mavis smiles at Shippo's antics but grows distant as her thoughts stray to the wayward Dragon Slayer.

 _I need to learn more of this world's magics: how they operate, what can counter them, ANYTHING. Then perhaps I can revisit that battlefield and reverse summon Jade from where-ever this Naraku character sent her._

Nodding to herself, Mavis focuses on the road ahead of them, musing over the recent events. The entire mess with the Ogre Bats had given her cause to be wary of Inuyasha. He was ready to kill a young hanyo girl in exchange to slice through magic shields! But despite his originally dubious intentions, Inuyasha had spared Shiori after all.

Mavis swings her feet, smiling nostalgically.

 _He saw a different way, one not paved with innocent blood- a mark of growth for him. But I am happy that Shiori allowed us to take the Blood Coral with us… perhaps studying the remnant yoki will be fruitful!_

The group trudges onwards, seeking traces of Naraku and Jade. Meanwhile, with a certain daiyoukai's party…

"Mister Jaken! Rin can eat these melons?!" She exclaims happily, staring wide-eyed at the watermelons.

Jaken huffs but nods grumpily.

"Yes, you silly girl! Now hurry up!" He snaps.

"Okay, Mister Jaken!" Rin chirps.

Jaken sighs as his mortal charge hums, collecting the inferior human food needed for her survival. His yellow eyes flicker over her arm where faint scars are still visible. He winces at the memory of that wizard woman, Jade.

 _What a brute! Not the least bit respectful!_ He grouses mentally.

The breeze picks up, ruffling his clothes and the leaves of the surrounding trees. Jaken blinks and scans the field warily; a prickle on his internal radar makes him scramble for Rin.

"Rin!" He yells, waving his staff frantically for her attention.

Rin looks up and starts to speak when Kagura drops from the sky. She smirks at Jaken, sweeps up Rin and jumps aboard her feather before Jaken can roast her.

"Mister Jaken!" Rin cries, struggling in Kagura's hold.

"Rin!" Jaken cries in despair, slumping on the ground.

He mourns the anticipated end of his life, furious that Rin had been kidnapped on his watch. The imp eventually masters himself and retreats to his lord's side to relay the news. As the sun begins to set, something stirs beneath the ground, curious of the tangle of scents it found. Eyes narrow as she processes the smells; **all** of them are familiar even if she doesn't remember the details.

One is like water, fresh and clean with a hint of demon. For some reason that one annoys her. The next is of a girl-child, young and smelling of blossoming flowers but the scent is marred by _fear._ Her blood boils at the sickening scent- _how dare a hatchling be put into danger!_ But it is the last one stokes her rage to fever heights; the one whom smells of demon, corpses and fresh air.

 _The one that stole from her and took the hatchling too._

Hissing, the dragoness frees herself from her comfortable home in the earth, casting her head back and forth to track her enemy's scent. Lips curl away from savage fangs in a grin of pleasure.

Her prey is near.

She starts to pursue her enemy but a whiff of the hatchling's scent makes her pause. The fear niggles at her, pulling at her instincts to protect the helpless hatchling. With a low snarl she leaps into the air, soaring into the heavens. She hesitates again, longing to tear apart the thief's delicate flesh- but the hatchling's distress is the trail she ultimately follows.

 _Meanwhile…_

Sesshomaru conceals a frown as Naraku falls to pieces once again before his Tokijin. Their battle- not that Sesshomaru would deign to call it that, quickly whittles away at his patience. Kagura watches from a safe distance as Naraku starts to attach more of himself onto the daiyoukai.

 _This is tiresome._ Sesshomaru thinks, unleashing his yoki to blast off the fragments of Naraku. He swings Tokijin again, raking the earth with lightning and tearing Naraku's tendrils apart. Naraku chuckles as he reassembles himself, pleased by his progress.

 _I will have you, Lord Sesshomaru- as a part of me!_

Sesshomaru stays calm as Naraku latches onto him in a sick parody of a devoted lover, his tendrils slowly constricting around him.

"Foolishness." Sesshomaru says flatly.

Naraku frowns as yoki begins to build once more and mercilessly rips apart his body. Sesshomaru deliberately steps forward and crushes a piece of Naraku's flesh beneath his boot. Kagura feels a flicker of hope and admiration for the daiyoukai grow.

 _Sesshomaru is the only one that can kill Naraku._ She thinks, staying back as the conflicting yoki clashes again.

 _In another location…_

Rin huddles in an old hut with the boy, Kohaku, wondering when Lord Sesshomaru would come for her. To pass the time she pulls out one of her treasures- a small crystal from the cave Jade-onee-chan had hidden Jaken and herself. She holds it up to the light, playing with the reflections it creates on the hut walls. Kohaku doesn't notice at first then watches Rin play out of the corner of his eye.

It was only the color difference and the shape of the crystal that convinced him it was not a jewel shard. An odd transparent grey, it reminds Kohaku of smoke and idly he wonders if it is crystalized smoke. Since it keeps Rin occupied, Kohaku has no issues with her playing with it. The hisses of the demon hoard guarding them outside grows louder and more frenzied.

Kohaku frowns and slides the door partly open, wondering what has them stirred up. He sees them all staring in one direction, tense and wary. Suddenly something **swipes** at the demons, cutting them apart. The remainder howl and charge, only to bounce off of green scales with shrieks of surprise. Scales move and Kohaku can clearly see a massive clawed foot crushing the final demons.

A low menacing rumble builds in the air and the creature stalks forward- Kohaku freezes, his mind trying to understand what he is seeing. About the size of a medium castle, the dragoness wraps her tail around the hut, heedlessly pushing over trees to make room. Her green-gold eyes narrow when they land on him- she pulls her lips back into a fearsome snarl, revealing vicious fangs. Kohaku staggers back into the relative safety of the hut, his instincts demanding he **hide**. But despite his fear, Kohaku cannot help but sneak another glance at the dragon.

Fur follows the ridge of her spine, a silvery green color, forming a fluffy mane behind her horns and a long tuft on the tip of her tail. Her emerald scales shift from nearly black on her spine to lighter greens on her belly and throat, a deadly camouflage in the woods. Wings are tightly furled and tucked away, unneeded on the ground. A set of heavy horns crown her brow, twisting back along her skull for greater protection while a tiny pair spurs off of them and angles forwards.

Rin watches Kohaku curiously then decides to peek herself- she gasps in amazement, fully pulling aside the curtain to better look at the dragon. Their spying does not go unnoticed. The dragoness shoves her head against the side of the hut, staring at them. Kohaku trembles as he readies his chain scythe- but Rin doesn't share his misgivings. She stands up and bows politely, the way Jaken had shown her.

"Hello!" She chirps, beaming.

The dragoness blinks then forces her muzzle into the hut, sniffing Rin. Her eyes brighten with recognition and she unleashes a rumbling purr, bumping Rin's torso gently. Rin laughs and shyly touches her scales- the dragoness' eyes slit lazily. Kohaku gapes in surprise then tries to regain control of the situation.

"Rin-chan, that's not safe!" He whispers harshly.

Rin and her new (well, not new but they don't know that) friend simultaneously glare at Kohaku. Rin puffs up her cheeks and crosses her arms.

"Miss Dragon is being very nice!" She argues back.

Kohaku gapes at her.

"Rin-chan, that's a **dragon!** They eat people!"

The dragoness takes offense and hisses- the hut creaks ominously as she tightens her tail subconsciously. Rin, being Rin, doesn't notice the potential danger and continues to argue for her new friend.

"She hasn't done anything bad!" Rin declares.

Kohaku doesn't know what to do; he had been ordered to protect Rin until- _no, don't remember that, don't think about that!_ His eyes blank and a partially forgotten order comes to the fore.

 _Do not let the girl escape or be rescued._

His hands lift and the chain sickle snaps out, aiming for Rin's throat. It never connects. The dragoness forces her head between Kohaku and Rin, the weapon bouncing harmlessly off her armored body. With an ear-shattering roar, Kohaku is torn out of the hut and crushed beneath a clawed foot before he has time to react. Rin gasps in horror as the dragoness starts to apply pressure, Kohaku gasping faintly for air as he tries to fend her off.

"Stop! Miss Dragon, please stop!" Rin begs.

Golden-green eyes flicker towards her and narrow in confusion.

"… **enemy…"** She rebukes, flexing her claws.

Kohaku lets out a strangled scream as one punctures his leg, but the dragoness keeps her eyes on Rin. Rin shakes her head, eyes wide.

"No, Miss Dragon! He did protect me! So please let him go!" She begs, staring up at draconic beast.

The dragoness considers her request, eyeing Kohaku then Rin. Then she lifts her foot clear of Kohaku, who coughs at the sudden abundance of air. He rolls onto his side, unable to do more than try to get his breathe back, much less attack. Hissing in annoyance, the dragoness carefully grabs Rin with her front paws and rears, opening her wings. Kohaku has to shield his eyes as the pair leave the ground and soar into the skies, well out of his reach. Around him the Saimyosho buzz before retreating to tell Naraku of this unexpected development.

 **Meanwhile, nearby…**

"What the hell is that?!" Inuyasha gapes as they all hear an earth-splitting roar in the distance.

Mavis' eyes widen in disbelief.

"No… that's not possible!" She gasps, standing on Soren's back.

Kagome twists to look at her.

"Mavis-san? What is it?"

Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo pause at Kagome's question- they all know about Mavis but it's still concerning to watch Kagome talk to thin air.

"Kagome, what's the matter with Mavis?" Sango inquires, shifting her boomerang bone uneasily.

Kagome glance at Sango worriedly.

"I don't know, but she said 'no, that's not possible'."

Miroku frowns.

"What is she speaking of?"

Mavis refocuses at the question and Kagome blanches at the _fear_ on Mavis' face.

"A dragon."

Kagome relays Mavis' words and Inuyasha scoffs.

"What's there to be scared of? We've fought dragons before and won!"

Mavis shakes her head, looking directing into Kagome's eyes.

"Not one like this- I have heard a similar roar before, but I heard it in _my_ home world. The dragons that exist there could only be slain by another dragon or a Dragon Slayer- they are simply _that_ powerful!" She answers, trying to make them understand the dangers.

Inwardly, Mavis feels despair settle into her heart- because if her memory is correct then they may be already too late for Jade. Inuyasha scowls, annoyed by the implication he is not strong enough.

"We'll see about that!" He snaps, stalking onwards.

Mavis worries at her lip, scanning the skies for the haunting silhouette of a dragon in full-flight. A shout from Inuyasha catches the rests' attention as he dashes forward, smelling Naraku at last! Soren clip-clops after them, watchful and restless.

 **Back with Rin…**

Rin watches, awed, as the earth blurs beneath them in a muted array of greens, browns and greys. The claws that hold her are warm, despite the scales and cold upper air. Above her, Miss Dragon sniffs the wind and banks, correcting her heading. Rin glances up at her new friend, still amazed by how majestic Miss Dragon is.

 _I wonder where we're going- we're very far away now!_

As if sensing her thoughts, they suddenly dive. Rin yelps in shock as the ground, so indistinct before, becomes very vivid with details and _ohnoarewegoingtostopintime?!_ She screws her eyes tightly shut and braces for impact.

It never comes.

Rin hears a rustling sound and peeks from between her fingers. Miss Dragon had landed softly, folded her wings and staring down at her quizzically. Rin blushes and staggers when Miss Dragon releases her back onto the ground. She hastily stand up straight and bows to her.

"Thank you, Miss Dragon- but Rin thinks Rin is very far away from Lord Sesshomaru and Mister Jaken." She explains.

Miss Dragon huffs and turns away towards a cliff-face. She grasps a large boulder and drags it to the side, revealing a hidden crevice. Rin covers her mouth with her hands in shock, because she _knows_ that crevice. Miss Dragon pauses, cocking her head at Rin's peculiar behavior.

"… **safe…"** Her voice rumbles, vibrating deeply inside Rin's chest.

Rin meets her strange two-tone eyes and an idea begins to take root inside her mind.

"Miss Dragon… have you meet Rin before?"

The dragoness stills then lowers her head to Rin's level, examining her closely. She inhales, tasting Rin's scent and frowns.

"… **Don't… know… but… must protect… hatchling."** The dragoness says with a slight slur, as if not completely sure of how to vocalize the sounds.

She nudges Rin towards the cave entrance. Rin takes a few steps and stops.

"Miss Dragon, how will you fit inside?" She asks.

The dragoness' eyes crinkle in amusement: then she starts to sink into the ground! Rin's jaw drops in shock.

"AHHH! Miss Dragon is sinking!" She screams, racing forward and tugging frantically at the dragoness' leg.

She merely huffs, picks up Rin by the back of her kimono and sets her aside next to the crevice.

" **In!"** Miss Dragon orders before vanishing altogether.

Rin bites her lip, worried beyond belief- but the part of her that always listens to Lord Sesshomaru prompts her to enter the cave. She drags her feet, her stomach churning, as she enters the main cavern with all its dazzling crystals. Her eyes scan the room frantically for a sign of her friend and nearly despairs when she couldn't spot her. Then Rin notices the ground shaking slightly and Miss Dragon appears!

The dragoness tosses her head and pulls herself completely free of the soil before looking at Rin. Her eyes crinkle and she **purrs** , curling herself around the tiny girl.

" **Safe. Hatchling safe."**

Rin frowns in confusion then yawns, the events of the day catching up to her. Miss Dragon nudges her against her warm scales and Rin gratefully cuddles close, already half-asleep. When Rin's breathing evens out, the dragoness unfurls one wing to cover the hatchling from prying eyes.

 **Meanwhile, with Sir Fluffy…**

Sesshomaru inwardly frowns as he studies the clearing where Rin's scent had lead him. Beside him, Jaken gawks at the bloody massacre and crushed hut.

"What in the seven hells did this?!" Jaken yelps, clutching his staff tightly.

Sesshomaru doesn't answer, striding forward to examine an impression in the hard ground. Many demons are crushed, not slashed or pierced, within the impression. The shape of it tugs at his memory as he estimates the size of the being that created it.

 _It would have to be near this Sesshomaru's size in true form…_ He realizes, concealing his concern.

Jaken putters around the scene, poking at the dead and making gruesome faces at them.

"Heh! Serves them right! The fools!" Jaken sneers, kicking one demon's head aside.

Sesshomaru ignores him, closing his eyes and inhaling to see what the scents of this place can tell him- not that he had outstanding hopes, considering the spilled blood.

 _Demons, Rin, blood, old wood, leaves, earth, human, dragon-_ His body tenses.

"…" He scans the clearing and spots places where trees were crushed out of the way, gouges from massive claws and then he spots it. A tuff of silvery-green fur, caught on a branch near the hut. Sesshomaru carefully pulls it free and sniffs it. A powerful combination of dragon, demon and Rin tickles his nose, but he frowns.

The scent is… muddled is the best word for it. There is something else under the dragon and demon overtones but it's so faint he cannot make it out. Suppressing a sigh, Sesshomaru lifts his face to the sky and takes off, following the dragon's- _and Rin's_ combined scent trail. Jaken wails as he frantically readies A-Un to follow him. Sesshomaru ignores him and focuses on his hunt.

 **Naraku's castle…**

"A _dragon_?" Naraku says incredulously.

Kohaku nods from the futon he is laying on- the wound in his leg was dangerous enough that Naraku knew the human could die. Kagura leans against the doorjamb, intrigued by the conversation.

"Describe it- what it looks like, how it acted, where it went. _Everything."_ Naraku orders.

Kohaku nods.

"Yes, my lord. It was the size of a medium castle with four legs, wings and a set of fearsome horns. There was fur running down its' spine from head to tail. Its' scales were dark green to a lighter green-"

Naraku waves away his description, narrowing his red eyes.

"What did it _do?_ "

Kohaku doesn't blink at the interruption.

"It killed all the demons surrounding the hut- they had no effect on it when they attacked. Then it heard us and came closer, inspecting us through the doorway. Rin had no fear of it and the dragon seemed- pleased? Yes, it was pleased to see her. It disliked me, especially when I tried to prevent Rin's escape. The dragon removed me from the hut and pinned me down, stabbing my leg. I believe it would have killed me if Rin hadn't pleaded mercy."

Naraku listens intently, scowling.

"It listened to a mere human child?"

Kohaku nods.

"Very well- what did it do after Rin succeeded pleading mercy?" Naraku demands.

"It grabbed her and flew away, roaring."

"…"

Naraku's scowl deepens as he considers this new outlier. Kagura slips away, wondering how she can use this new information. As she travels through the castle hallways, Kagura notices Kanna sitting in a corner, focused on her mirror.

"Kanna? What are you doing?" Kagura inquires cautiously.

Kanna meets the Wind Sorceress's searching gaze with her emotionless one.

"… She is still fighting."

Kagura blinks and tilts her head.

"Who is?"

"Jade."

Kagura's face pales as all the blood drains from it.

"You mean- that woman's soul is-!"

"Resisting." Kanna confirms, staring down at the gleaming mirror's surface.

Kagura glances both directions before leaning down.

"Can you control her?" She hisses urgently.

Kanna glances at her then back at the mirror.

"… unclear. She knows what happened to her and she is furious."

Kagura bites her lip then tentatively voices one of her fears.

"Kanna… if you can't control her- won't she kill all of us for what we did?"

Kanna considers the question before answering.

"Most likely."

Kagura shivers and quickly walks away from her older sister, failing to hide her terror.

 **Okay, that's a wrap. Yes, this is a shorter chapter, but it has a decent stopping point. Quick thing- Jade's transformation is not going to be an easy fix~ ;P Many shenanigans will ensue! Please review and tell me what you think!**


End file.
